Darkness From Beyond
by LovelyAngelYuuki
Summary: Yin has never had a very favourable life and as a result, she has serious trust issues. The only ones whe can say she trusts is her spirit, her mother, her two mentors and as it seems, Asakura Hao. Or does she? And what exactly is her reason for blindly pursuing a fight with Tao Ren? (Humor guaranteed later on. Yin is an OC. T for implied sexual scenes and strong words.)
1. The Message

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! Hey guys! I know I have other stories to complete, but I feel I just have to post this one. It's based on the manga, so don't get confused if some things are different than you remember it from anime. There'll be more coming later on! So review and I might just post the next chappie sooner than I planned!

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking and flashbacks_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Message**

_I never saw the kick that was heading my way. Like lightning from a clear sky, it struck me, right into my abdomen, leaving me breathless._

"_You have potential, Yin. I can give you that. But it is of no relevance." roared a deep thunderous voice I knew so well. "Can you tell me why?"_

_I stayed quiet, knowing very well it would make no difference whether I answered or not. I would get beaten up either way._

"_Because you are female. And there is no need for such a woman. If only you were born a boy..."_

_This time, I saw the attack coming at me and I blocked it, wheezing from the effort after having the air literally kicked out of me._

"_You dare defy me?" he asked incredulously. I could only scowl at him, rage boiling within me._

"_Yes." I answered simply, not for one moment caring about the consequences._

* * *

The door upstairs creaked, breaking me away from my meditation. There were only a handful of people who would have gone to the trouble of actually seeking me out and the number could be narrowed down to three once you accounted for the lack of steps being heard in the moldy dungeon.

Chains that cuffed me to the wall behind me jingled when I moved into the most effective defensive stance I could manage without breaking any bone.

Torch lights outside my cells flickered as the person got closer and I tensed, inadvertently opening up freshly closed cuts on my wrists and forearms in the process.

Slowly but steadily, my visitor's presence was approaching my cell, the anticipation making me clench my teeth and hold my breath.

I sighed in relief once I caught sight of the person's long blonde hair held in a high ponytail and black and purple robes.

"I don't think I'm up for any more training, Kyo." I piped up weakly, slumping against the slick stone tiles behind me.

"I'm not here for the training." came a deep baritone of one of my two mentors.

I nodded in acknowledgment, silently prompting him to continue.

The warrior opened the doors to my cell and came to stand before me, eyeing my visibly malnourished and bruised form. "Ran-sama told me to deliver you this message. Here."

I gingerly took the piece of paper from his outstretched hand and let my eyes quickly skip over it.

"I see..." I whispered, handing the message back to the blonde man, knowing I could count on him to dispose of it. He pocketed the little white note, staring at me expectantly.

The silence between us stretched, him waiting patiently, while my mind was whirling in chaos.

"Thank you, Kyo." I finally said, each word spoken with stiff precision. "For everything. Tell Shu I said so, too."

Miniscule jerk of his head told me he heard and then we were silent again.

Minutes passed lazily, but this time he was the one to break the eerie silence. "And Ran-sama?"

I thought about it for a while, trying to find the right words. In the end, I knew whatever I wanted her to hear had to be said face-to-face and I didn't have that luxury. Not when she had a son whom she wanted to protect from his father and a daughter to teach.

"Tell her I said goodbye."

He nodded again, his face still impassive, though his eyes reflected something akin to understanding and remorse. As soon as the emotions showed, however, they were gone. He turned and strode out of the cell, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours before my feeble voice was heard again.

"We're leaving." I said into the darkness, knowing the recipient of my words was there, waiting for me to call upon him.

The shadows to my left shifted in response and I laughed at the motion. The laughter never died down as I rattled the chains on my arms and legs.

_I am breaking free tonight. I'm getting out of this hellhole._

The shadows moved even more violently, rising and extinguishing flames from the torches, all the while I sat there, laughing.

One by one, my cuffs opened, falling to the ground with a telltale sound of metal scraping against the stone.

"Come." I said merrily, reaching into the darkness that accumulated at the center of the cell.

Instead of an answer, something cold and wet touched my bleeding wrist, wiping off the warm liquid.

My smile widened when I felt it, knowing the hidden meaning behind the gesture.

"**We are now bound." **confirmed the creature made of darkness, barest hint of joy hidden in its mysterious voice resounding in my head.

"Good." I said approvingly. "Shall we pay a visit to the armory, then?"


	2. Orders To Follow

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Hey there guys! After some consideration, I've arrived to the decision that **all the characters** in my story will be** two years older** than originally. You get the drill – e.g. Yoh was supposed to be 14 at the manga, so think of him like he has 16. Capish to? :D (It felt just too awkward to write those scenes with two meanings when writing about 14-year-olds... -.-" )

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Orders To Follow**

_**9 years later...**_

"Yami. Report." I ordered, more than a little bit annoyed.

I didn't have to wait for an answer as it came from my own shadow almost immediately.** "Nothing amiss, Mistress. Anna Kyoyama is disciplining all the males present in the household in the courtyard. These include the young Asakura, Oyamada Manta, Umemiya Ryunosuke and Usui Horohoro."**

I couldn't help but sigh. This situation was nothing new and if I had to be honest, I quite enjoyed watching Anna, or 'the Devil' as I dubbed her, punish the occupants of her home for the smallest reasons. But now, I wasn't in the mood. Not after I've passed up my chance in beating Ren.

_All because of Hao and his stupid orders._

Instead of voicing my complaints, however, I groaned. "So the Devil's at it again, huh? How long have we been watching them, anyway?"

"**Two months, Mistress."**

I almost fell off the branch I was sitting on, having to grip on the rough tree bark to keep myself steady.

"The hell... Time sure runs fast." I noted aloud, remembering the first day I followed Asakura Yoh. He, along with his little friend was relaxing by the river bank, while I had to watch him all thorough it.

_Relaxing. That's all the guy has on his mind._

And yet, I was wary of his every move, every word and every sigh. No matter how much he didn't act like it, he was one of the Asakura's AND Hao's younger twin. Adding that to the fact Hao wanted me to follow him, I was sure he was no weakling.

"**Mistress. There is a new spiritual presence approaching them at fast speed."**

This definitely caught my attention as I narrowed my eyes and jumped off the tree, instincts telling me I would need to move very soon. "Who is it?" I asked in a hurry, my own furyoku discreetly searching the surroundings.

"**The pattern belongs to Bason."**

I sucked in air, wondering why the hell I had this unsettling feeling at the pit of my stomach. "Ren?" I questioned.

"**No sign of him."**

I nodded, masking my furyoku and set off in the direction of the inn.

"Make direct link to the Inu tribe guy. I want to hear everything that is being said."

"**Understood."**

Mere meters away from the inn, I slowed down to a walk, careful not to make any noise that would give me out. Finding a suitable bush, I hid behind it, crouching.

In that instant, Yami completed the connection and started transmitting the whole conversation directly into my head.

The first voice to come through was Yoh's. "I hope... That feeling wasn't..."

Shortly after that, Bason's voice joined in, pleading "Ma- Master Yoh, I beg of you! Please, you must save young master Ren!"

To say I was shocked to hear Ren needed help was an understatement. I expected more from the Tao En's 'pet'.

"What happened?" cried out Horohoro, closely followed by Manta and Ryu. Anna, smacking the three idiots decided to take it upon herself to question the ghost.

"Tell us the whole story." she commanded.

Bason all too readily complied. "Ren-sama went back to China, saying he wanted to cut his family ties because they hindered him and his goals. In order to do so, he decided he needed to beat his father and surpass him, taking over his head of the clan position... But Tao En had intercepted us even before we got to the main building. He had captured Lady Jun and intended to use her as a warning, to deter Ren from defying him, however Ren refused to back down and attacked his father." Bason stopped talking for a while, probably trying to organize his thoughts. (Or catch his breath?)

"He- He was too strong. He defeated young master Ren in one blow, severely tortured him and then locked him up in the dungeon with Lady Jun."

"Tao En?!" exclaimed Ryu and Manta, closely followed by Horohoro's and Yoh's "Dungeon?!"

"I managed to escape from En and come here. It was the only thing I could do to save Ren." panted the spirit of Chinese warrior. "I beg of all of you! You are the only ones who can help save Ren! Please! Do... Do what you can to free him!"

I listened in for a little while longer, but they only discussed the situation, possible courses of action and the details of the journey, which wasn't something I needed to hear.

"Yami. Terminate the connection."

The spirit did as I asked without delay. "Observe the situation and tell me if anyone of them leaves the compound."

"**As you wish."**

I was grateful for the absence of foreign voices in my head and even more so for the absence of my guardian spirit. I had a very serious thinking to do and I needed to do it alone.

Without a backwards glance, I ran back to the tree and climbed it, perching myself on the branch I occupied previously.

_So Ren has rebelled against his father... _In a way, that made me somehow happy. Not that the fact Ren was becoming his own man mattered to me that much. No, it was the fact _**that man**_'s own offspring, future _**heir**_, his _**son**_was determined to fight him if need be that made me overjoyed.

_Oh, how I would have loved to see that man's expression when Ren attacked him..._ I giggled at the image that formed inside my mind.

_But what does it mean to me? _I asked myself, knowing this complicated the situation. Or did it?

_I will still have the chance to fight Ren later on. However, there is no chance of that happening if he stays imprisoned... _

It was becoming quite clear to me I would be tagging along with the band of those misfit shamans, and not only because I was to follow Yoh under Hao's orders.

_Hao... He did say I was to observe Yoh from the sidelines and not interact with him unless it was unavoidable... But does this situation qualify? _

I really wasn't sure Hao would approve of me revealing my identity to his younger twin just because I wanted to beat up En so much my hands itched.

_But the Tournament is practically just around the corner and we will have to introduce ourselves eventually... But Yoh isn't really in any imminent danger, especially if he's going to be with his band of followers all the time and won't face En..._

Really, arguing with myself was so hard... But at last, I have come to the decision. I would accompany Yoh Asakura on his rescue mission, help him from the sidelines and if I got lucky, exact my revenge on the head of the Tao clan.

_Just you wait, Tao En. You will curse the day you wrote me off as a trash._

"**Mistress, they are planning on leaving in two hours."**

"Then I guess it's high time we started packing, Yami. We cannot afford losing sight of the young Asakura now, can we?"


	3. Tao Mansion

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! … Review, pwetty pwease? Pwetty, pwetty, pwetty pwease? *puppy eyes*

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Tao Mansion**

_**Ten days later**_

"Tche. The place hasn't changed at all in those years..." I grumbled under my breath, extremely careful not to disrupt any small rocks in order not to alert the rescue party trudging forward on the mountain path below me.

"**I don't think that's surprising." **remarked Yami, his black wolf form trailing behind me. **"The Taos hadn't made any changes to the mansion in over 2000 years as a reminder of their former glory."**

I continued up the steep mountain terrain, concentrating on feeling out for any traps, hidden sensors or anything else that would compromise my location to the head of the Tao clan.

"Of course YOU would know." I growled.

Though I was sure he heard me, he didn't comment on it.

"You know, you've been extremely quiet since we got here." I started, trying to get him to confess what was on his mind.

It took a while, but he did seem to take the bait. **"May I speak freely?"**

I inwardly gulped at what he'd asked, knowing it did not mean anything good.

"Go on." I said hesitantly, preparing myself for the onslaught of cuss words and most likely, scolding.

"**I know you are not here only because of Hao's orders, and while I do not mind it, I have to know. What do you plan to achieve by coming here? If it's a fight with Ren, you know you'll have the opportunity later."**

I stopped and turned to stare at the obsidian wolf. His midnight-blue eyes showed nothing but curiosity with a great deal of wisdom one ought to expect from a spirit as old as him.

"Truthfully? I do not know myself. What I do know, however, is that this party of greenhorns has a very slim chance of actually succeeding this little 'Rescue Ren' mission. And that is even with Bason's help."

I waited for Yami to comment on the obvious, that I was simply stating what we both knew, but he never did. And that was what probably prompted me to tell him exactly what I thought I wanted to get from this trip.

"I know that if I do not help free Ren, there will be no way for me to fight him. I also know that going in there, even as a help from sidelines, means risking what little of advantage of surprise I have. It is also very obvious to me that after Ren is free, he will go and try to beat En and I won't be able to idly sit by and watch. I am also sure that if either Kyo or Shu were to stand in my way, I wouldn't fight against them and simply retreated."

My voice quivered with the last statement and I had to actually take a deep breath before continuing. "What I expect from this trip is a change. A big one. But I have no idea what kind and how it will affect me, my ideals and possibly affiliations..."

"**I see. Thank you for being honest with me."** my guardian spirit replied, his impossibly dark blue orbs staring into my golden ones with something akin to affection.

The little talk slowed us down enough that we had a hard time catching up to the bunch of misfits. They were already standing on the edge of the cliff which overlooked the wide rock plains that were supposed to be full of Jiang Shi under the control of Tao En.

As it turned out, there were none. _Okay, this is definitely not good._

Luckily, we were now close enough to the rescue group to hear what was being said.

"That's... Where Ren lives?" asked a dumbstruck-looking Yoh, staring at the giant pagoda-like mansion.

Ryu seemed to agree with the younger man's amazement as he simply said: "It's huge."

Even Horohoro couldn't help but gulp as he only now realized the true wealth of the Tao family. "That's not all that's huge. Look at all this countryside. In comparison, Hokkaido is so small..."

Manta, at the moment being probably the most level-headed one, was instead impressed by the location of the main Tao family mansion. "It's the Kishu region. I never expected to see such a place at the Tibetian border... Not the mention the way here was quite a trip. We had to travel 10 days." he paused for a second before finally finishing his thought with a bit of a relieved expression. "Anna was nice to have let us go like this."

Bason reluctantly floated over to the humans, his head hung low in a semblance of shame. "I thank you all for coming here. For it was I who dragged you all into this."

Yoh, with his easy-going attitude that was the tiniest bit similar to his brother's, was the first to respond. "What are you saying? We came because Ren is our friend. We can't just leave him alone when he is in trouble."

Everyone agreed with him, adding their little piece to the reason for their coming.

_What a bunch of idiots. They simply do not know when to start taking things seriously._

Fortunately for me, the sweet-talking was interrupted by the arrival of more than a little disconcerted-looking Amidamaru and Tokageroh.

"It's very strange! The area around castle seems completely deserted!"

The samurai's report was quickly elaborated by his enemy from the past life. "Yeah! I didn't see anything either! Not even a bug!"

Yami, now standing beside me, growled lowly not liking the situation any more than I did.

Bason realized the fishiness of the situation right after us, not wanting to believe for one second that Tao En was not waiting for them and this wasn't just one big trap.

I almost choked when I heard Yoh wondering whether En was taking a nap. My spirit, on the other hand, had a hard time holding in his hysterical laughter.

Thankfully, before the wolf exploded, the band was already on their way to the pagoda.

"Time to get serious." I breathed out, my eyes never leaving the group. "Here is the basic plan: we use the Shadow Path and follow Yoh Asakura. We will not interfere in the fight unless either the Asakura, Jun or Ren are in a life-threatening situation or until En appears."

"**Very well, Mistress. Let us depart, then."** the wolf agreed, his form changing into that of a living darkness and wrapping around my body. As soon as there was not a patch of my skin visible, I got dragged below the ground, into the Shadow realm. We traveled from one shadow to the other, no matter how small it was, until we found the person we were looking for.

The Realm shook as a deep, dark voice resounded in the vast, black emptiness, seemingly coming out of every and none direction at the same time. **"We have successfully blended with the shadow of Yoh Asakura."**

_Time for work. _"Well done. I want full 360 degrees visual contact and audio."

"**Connecting."**

In matter of seconds I was assaulted with thousands of vivid images, all of them picturing the main lobby from a different angle. There wasn't a single detail that could escape me like this.

I listened to Bason explaining the structure of the mansion, giving the party as much information as he could without taking too long. "Our objective is to free Ren." he said lastly, making sure they understood.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Tao En will probably come after us. We will have to deal with him eventually." said Ryu matter-of-factly.

Horohoro cracked his knuckles, his high and mighty attitude once again rearing its ugly head. "Heh! I can't wait. I'm looking forward to giving him a beating."

It was then that Manta decided to pipe up. "Excuse me... What am I supposed to do?"

I froze for a moment, for the first time realizing we had a useless human on the team. _Why in the seven names of hell had they let him come?_ I wondered, but dismissed it as quickly as it came. The human wasn't important. For all I cared, he could get killed.

Yoh answered Manta's question, his whole demeanor changing. "Manta, you will do just as Bason says. This fight will not be like the fights we've had before. This time, our lives are at stake. I don't want you getting mixed in the action."

_At least someone gets the gravity of the situation..._

"Since we don't know how well Ren is, we'll have t rescue him quickly." the boy continued.

That was when the nightmare began. There, on the balcony leading to the upper level of the pagoda stood five Jiang Shi. The Gokufusei.

"The farthest you will ever go shall be right here." announced their leader. "You intruders are not welcome to do as you please. We will not allow such things."

Ryu, still not entirely out of the initial shock of seeing the five figures appear out of nowhere let his mouth run. "What? Those are the guys that we must fight?! What are they?!"

I would have smacked myself if I were any other person.

It was in that split second that the Yon-Johtoh attacked Ryu, using the speed boost his leopard legs provided him with. He went right for his face, slicing his ridiculous hairstyle in two and scratching his head, judging from the steady stream of blood flowing down his forehead.

Using the moment of surprise this attack gave them, the five elite Jiang Shi all attacked at once, aiming for the intruders.

With lightening speed, Horohoro collected fallen Ryu from the ground, caught Yoh under his other arm and threw Manta on top of him, getting them safely away from the devastating attack.

"So you have managed to dodge our quick attack... You maybe weak, but it seems you know how to defend yourselves." praised Ichi-Johtoh, with his hand still buried in the stone tiles of the main lobby.

Murderous aura surrounded Horohoro as he dared to ask the questions that seemed to be on mind of all of the humans. "Who are these guys?"

"These Jiang Shi were perfected by combining the greatest parts. They are the best ones that Lord En has in his possession. But I never thought we would have to face them. The situation does not look too good for us." mumbled Bason weakly.

Horohoro, already beyond himself with rage strapped his snowboard on his arm, not caring one bit who he was facing or insulting, for that matter, as he called them ugly toys.

"You annoying kid!" shouted San-Johtoh, thoroughly offended by Horohoro's name-calling. "My elephant feet will shut that big mouth of yours!"

"Shut up. You guys are too loud." growled the Inu tribe boy in response, activating his new attack and freezing San-Johtoh.

"Who's next?!" he cried out, unaware of the quick Jiang Shi standing behind his back, ready to strike.

Before he got the chance, however, the Jiang Shi with leopard legs was cut in half by no one else than the fallen motorbike gang leader.

"You destroyed my new ultra thick haircut!" he screamed as he continued to slice his opponent into small pieces.

After his anger was vented out, he turned to the young Asakura, looking gravely. "These things aren't worth your time, master Yoh."

"Yeah, leave this to us. You go save Ren." agreed Horohoro.

Seeing that his friends were serious, he did not question their decision and instead let Bason lead him down the numerous hallways, into the dungeon where Ren and Jun were being held.


	4. Dungeons

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! I probably forgot to mention this, but I'll probably be using many, many chinese words. I'll try to post their meanings up but if I leave out some, please free to point it out!

**Kwan dao** – Ren's spear-like weapon

**Lu Jia Dao **– Deerhorn Knives (Look them up. They're pretty cool...)

Revieeew!

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Dungeons**

"Good. Very good." I whispered to myself as we neared the dungeons.

_Now I'll have all the people I need to worry about in one place._

I held my breath as we neared the all-too-familiar double doors. Yoh, without any care for the possible enemy assault pushed the doors open, making the panes bang against the bare dungeon walls.

"What was that?" asked a very soft, female voice, coming from the fifth cell on the left.

The young shaman slowed down, seeing as we had arrived at our destination and there were no guards to worry about.

"Heh." came a sarcastic male chuckle from the cell before the one holding the female. "Looks like Bason couldn't help himself."

Yoh continued to trudge down the damp hallways, not in the slightest affected by all the human bones scattered on the ground and skeletons dangling from the walls.

"It's disgraceful that they will see me like this." continued the voice that couldn't belong to anyone else than Tao Ren bemusedly. "I don't understand why they came here, but it looks like they made it all the way here."

That's when the slumped form chained to a metal dragon used for torture looked up to smirk at the Asakura shaman standing right before him. "Yoh." he simply greeted and the other boy grinned like it was Christmas again.

"Yo."

Not wanting to bother with trying to find the keys, Yoh cut the bars with his oversoul, the metal tubes falling loudly to the ground.

I winced at the noise and felt Yami do the same.

The easy-going teenager then took off the chains that held Ren and went to open Jun's cell.

I noted the scattered body parts on the ground of her cell and couldn't help but wonder what En had in mind, letting her have her Jiang Shi even after she defied him.

Jun stood up from her work, eager to see how her brother was doing. She followed Yoh back into Ren's cell and silently watched as the brunette crouched beside the Tao heir, who was massaging his bruised wrists.

"Hey Ren are you okay?"asked the concerned boy.

With a typical Tao pride, the golden-eyed shaman glared at his rescuer. "Of course I'm fine. Who do you think you're talking to?"

The green-haired woman took it upon herself to apologize for her little brother's rudeness, only for the Asakura boy to shrug it off. "I'm just glad to see him back in shape again."

"I really didn't think you guys would come for us. Thank you, Yoh, I give you my deepest thanks."

The boy blushed, avoiding the woman's gaze. "Eh.. It's nothing, really. But we should get going now."

Their companion, however, shocked both of them with his next words. "We are not going anywhere."

Jun looked like she was about to argue with him, but he cut her off.

"I came here for a reason. I am not going anywhere until I succeed in defeating my father."

My own demeanor darkened, wicked smile twisting my features. "Well, there you have it, Yami. We are going to fight Tao En."

"**Mistress, forgive me for asking, but are you sure you want this? You won't be simply getting your revenge, you'll be disobeying Hao's orders and revealing your identity."**

If he had a corporeal form, I would have glared at it. "I am sure. This is as good chance as any to bring En down and Hao's orders explicitly said I was to ensure Yoh did not die prematurely, meaning I am going to step in only when either Yoh or Ren are in danger. Is that acceptable?" I asked mockingly, knowing he could not deny the logic behind my words.

"**Yes, Mistress."**

I put on a fake smile that was as bright as a light bulb and exactly as empty. "Wonderful." I said in a sing-song voice, my excitement getting the best of me.

Ren got up, tightening the thin sash around his waist and walking out of the cell. "I'm gonna go up right now. You can leave if you have finished what you came to do. See you later." he said, minutely glancing at Yoh over his shoulder.

Jun was left there standing open-mouthed. She visibly couldn't believe how thick-headed her brother was.

"Ren! Wait a second! What are you saying?!" cried out stupefied Yoh, unable to comprehend what he just heard. "I mean, if you had defeated your father in the first place, we wouldn't have come. Look at yourself. Can't you see you're all beaten up?! You have plenty of time... Come back later!"

Yoh's persuasion seemed fall on deaf ears as Ren went on his way, only stopping when he finally decided to answer. "You don't seem to understand my situation. I can't live on with such a humiliating defeat." His gaze then hardened, as did his resolve. "I thank you for freeing me."

Jun at last getting hold of herself tried to support Yoh's idea by crying out after Ren's quickly retreating back. "You know father's great power! He's too strong!"

Without stopping, Ren's from disappeared in the poorly lit hallway.

"Oh well. It's too bad." sighed the brown-haired shaman. "That's just the way Ren is. Once he has made up his mind, there's no turning back." He smiled then, though it didn't reach his eyes. He looked tired and resigned. "There is no other way. We are already here. Might as well help him to the end."

Jun, believing she heard wrong, turned to stare at the boy, breathing out a very weak "What?".

Still smiling, but not answering,Yoh then took off, running in the direction Ren had left. "Wait up, Ren! You're tired! How about we rest a little?!" he offered good-naturedly.

Annoyed, the Tao boy sped up. "What do you want from me? You're the one who's tired."

"I don't want anything." interjected the Asakura heir. "I'm coming to help you fight. That's all."

"I don't need your help." bit back the dark purple-haired shaman harshly. "Just go back home to Japan. It's better for you."

"Won't they ever stop bickering?" I groaned miserably, my earlier excitement somewhat lessened by the oncoming headache the two were causing me.

"**I could always shut them up."** came a sickly sweet answer. I could picture Yami giving me his version of Cheshire cat grin.

"No matter how alluring it sounds, it is not a good idea. Not yet, anyway."

"But if we leave won't you be sad and lonely?" asked Yoh with a completely straight face.

Ren whipped around, pointing his finger at Yoh. "Of course not!" Calming down a bit, Ren elaborated. "I'm saying that you will just be in my way. Don't take this the wrong way, but you are just too nice. And being nice won't get you anywhere with such a man."

For once, I found myself completely agreeing with the young Tao. En wasn't someone who could be treated as an equal, living being. Only as a beast. Bloodthirsty, mindless beast that has almost no sense of morale.

Yoh completely dismissed Ren's words of warning, acting as if he already met the man. "Feh. What man? Your father? I already heard about it from Bason. There aren't such parents."

_And this is exactly why I'm never going to like Asakura Yoh. Always seeing the world through his rose-colored glasses..._

"Yoh... I don't hate my father."

_Well that's new._ I admitted.

"I came here to eliminate the hatred. The tattoo on my back. It is the symbol of my hatred that has always remained. It is a family law. Given to me as a child. But that is not the source of my anger."

Subconsciously, I reached down to scratch at my bandaged right shoulder, trying to get rid of that tingling sensation his words had caused.

"I am angry at my own person. For letting myself be influenced into hurting others."

Grabbing the kwan dao that hung on the wall to his right, Ren expertly tested its weight in his hand, gripping its handle unnecessarily tight.

"Even if I change my ways, the memories will remain, just like that tattoo. That is my reason. I want to escape all those memories and to do so, I must destroy the one who left me this mark. It may be a foolish notion, but this is my fight. I don't want to see you die for something like this."

Unknown to the young Tao, Yoh started smiling halfway through his speech. "Everything will work out. You'll see." he said, snaking his arm around the other's shoulder. "We didn't come all the way here to see you die. We came here to fight together. We'll never know what will happen if never even try." Yoh said truthfully, making the purple-haired teen stare at him in puzzlement.

I noticed them sooner than the two males, but didn't do anything about it. I knew those two Jiang Shi and their ways. They weren't the type for stealthy attacks.

"Hey guys. You look quite spirited." chuckled the bigger of the two, his voice only a little more pleasant than nails scratching the blackboard. "But this is the end of the road for you. The only way you're getting through... Is in pieces."

I almost fell over when I heard Yoh squeal upon catching the sight of them. "Kyaa! They're so ugly! I didn't see them before!"

Ren glared at the two opponents, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Those are the Jiang Shi who hurt my sister."

The bigger one grinned, shamelessly admitting to having tortured Jun. "We are the Jiang Shi in charge of the dungeon. We are called the Torture Brothers. Those who wish to escape are going to be severely tortured."

"What?! Are they serious?!" asked Yoh incredulously.

Ren merely smirked cruelly. "Sounds interesting. Torture? Not a problem. But I'm gonna take control of this game."

As was to be expected, the Jiang Shi got offended and attacked recklessly.

The chinese shaman used the little time he had to address his friend, smirk not leaving his face. "Yoh... Do what you want. Just make sure you don't get in my way."

Quickly catching onto the meaning of his words, the carefree Yoh agreed.

With a single blow, Yoh took care of the smaller of the two Jiang Shis while Ren effectively incapacitated the bigger one.

Together they then rushed up to the top, intent on reaching their goal – Tao En.


	5. Will To Fight

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Now all is going to go down the drain... Wanna see how? Read on! And Review!

**Lu jiao dao – **Deerhorn knives

**Kwan dao – **Ren's spear-like weapon

**All Dao Dan Do attacks can be found on Shaman King Wikia along with the Gofukusei and its members!**

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Will To Fight**

It took us a long trek, but we finally arrived at the hall leading to En's room.

My heart was beating like crazy, adrenaline rushing through my veins. It was clear to me that once the door opened, fight for life began. And while I promised Yami I would try not to get directly involved until necessary, I had no illusion about me not entering the fight at all.

Yoh wasn't ready to face En yet. That kind of power the Tao held was unimaginable for the young shaman, making him extremely naive and vulnerable. Sooner or later, I would have to step in.

"Yami. Get ready in case we have to join in at the last second." I said, gripping my lu jiao dao tightly in my hands.

"**Very well."** he answered, his voice sounding like pure malice with a hint of mischief.

I chuckled to myself, inwardly glad I wasn't the only one looking forward to the action, no matter how dangerous it will be or the repercussions that surely followed.

Deciding to give Yoh his last warning, Ren spoke to the smiling boy. "Are you ready for this?"

The Asakura shaman didn't even look at his companion. "Yeah." he simply confirmed cheerfully.

Ren pushed open the doors in front of which they were standing, revealing a very unfavorable scene.

There, standing at the center of the room, surrounded by pieces of four defeated Jiang Shi, stood the leader of the Gokufusei, holding onto the collar of Ryu's passed out body.

Immediately noticing their presence, but not taking his eyes off his current prey, Ichi-Johtoh started talking monotonously. "You won't be able to do anything. Because I will make sure you all die. I shall send you to your death."

"Move you idiots!" I shrieked inside the Shadow Realm, trying to figure out whether this was the moment I was to come out.

The two frozen companions stood at the door, the Jiang Shi's threats falling on deaf ears as they simply stared at Ryu's limp body held up by the man in white, and Horohoro's battered form crumpled on the ground nearby.

With incomprehensible speed, the last remaining member of Gokufusei appeared behind the shamans, intent on making true of his bloody words. "They could not keep up." he almost sneered. "Just like the two of you."

Swiftly turning around, Ren and Yoh faced their new enemy. He, in turn, scowled at them.

"Die." Kicking up his leg, making the boys fly up he proudly announced the name of his attack. "Huo Jian Jao!"

"That move! Is it?!" wondered Ren aloud.

In rapid succession, the attacker himself jumped up into the air, above the boys. With a cry of "Zhou Shidao Dan Jiao!" he sent them crashing to the ground.

Luckily, Amidamaru and Bason stepped in, cushioning their descend.

Wincing from the impact, Yoh confirmed Ren's earlier suspicion. "It's unmistakable. That's Dao Dan Do. The same fighting technique Bailong uses!" Quickly collecting himself, he got back to the appropriate fighting stance. "But why is he so much stronger than the others?!"

"I have no idea! It doesn't make any sense!" countered more than a little bit ticked off Tao shaman.

That's exactly when a very feeble and shaky voice piped up from behind a big chinese vase positioned by the door they used to come in. "It's quite obvious in a way. There aren't many who know Dao Dan Do." The voice was revealed to belong to no one else than Manta. "The only who should know it is Bailong."

"Manta! You're alive!" cried out relieved Yoh.

Ren, wanting to know more, abruptly shut him up and let the human continue. "What? Then who is it?!"

"Th-There was also the one who invented it. Bailong's master. It must be Shawen!"

Startled, the boys turned back to their opponent, waiting for him to either confirm the theory or refute it.

"You are most observant..." drawled the Jiang Shi. "Yes, I am Shawen. The heart of Gokufusei. The others were simply a cover." He then pulled up part of his white linen mask, revealing his face to the still disbelieving Yoh.

Smiling, he used the distraction to his advantage, moving rapidly behind the boy.

"YAMI!" I called out, already in my battle stance.

"**We won't make it!" **he howled in response, making me bite my lip until it bled.

"Yoh! Pay attention! Don't just stand there!" yelled Ren, rushing to help.

_This is it. _I thought in horror. _I failed._

But just when the Jiang Shi's hand was about to reach Yoh, it was stopped by no other than Bailong.

"Bailong!" yelped Shawen, prying his forearm from his former apprentice's grip and moving away from him.

For a moment, I felt faint. The force of the relief I felt was so strong my knees gave out and I had to sit down onto the floor made out of shadows. _That was close. REALLY close. Hell, I don't even want to imagine what Hao would have done to me if... _I shivered, instantly stopping that train of thought.

"Yami. Start making an invisible portal in Yoh's shadow. It'll be quicker that way to get out." I croaked.

"**Yes, Mistress." **he breathed out, just as relieved as I was.

Staring, Shawen let his confusion show on his face. "How?! Master En destroyed you!"

"I put him back together." came Jun's voice from an open doorway. "Looks like I made it just in time. Even though I warned you not to fight." she stated.

"Sister..." Ren said dumbfounded.

Eyeing the newcomer, Shawen spoke. "Miss Jun. I strongly advise against this. You don't want your father to punish you again, do you?" Turning back to Bailong, he continued his speech. "It's not wise to go against me. Even if you come at me all at once." Smirking evilly, he added: "...A weak Jiang Shi like Bailong won't make any difference. I am the master. A disciple could never beat his master."

Dejected, Jun answered him. "I guess we were just too soft. I really don't wish to fight anymore." She put up her hair in her usual style, using three purple hairclips. "I wished I would never have to hurt people. But with things as they are... I have no choice but to do this."

With a maniacal laugh, Shawen attacked her. "You are totally confused!" he cried out, poising both his fists in front of him, getting ready to strike.

Unperturbed, Jun didn't move an inch. "No, I see things clearly now." She pulled out her daoshi talismans, smiling softly to herself. "Yes. I have made up my mind."

"What did you say?!" yelled the offender unaware of the attack Bailong was about to unleash behind his back.

"Gofukusei, this is the end for you!" said the younger Jiang Shi as his leg slowly descended on the other's unprotected spine. "I will always protect Jun!" he finished with hateful look in his eyes. "Yu Zhou Zhan Luo Xia!"

Shawen's body practically exploded and landed on the ground with a nasty 'plop' sound.

"You have no right to live if you don't have a heart. Without it, you cannot even be considered alive." said the Tao woman, looking reminiscent. "Come! We are going up!" she suddenly called out resolutely, heading for the staircase leading to En's room.

Everyone sweatdropped, confused by the change in Jun's attitude.

"My sister... She's gone mad." choked out Ren, his eyes wide like saucers.

Meanwhile, Yoh collected Horohoro and slung his arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight, and Ryu woke up on his own.

"**Their chances of winning have diminished dramatically, Mistress."**

"I can see that." I bit back at my spirit, gathering myself from the ground. _Damn it all. They are all so badly beaten up..._


	6. Tao En

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! How are you guys? Still silent, I see. Special thanks to VIVI for being the first reviewer on this story!This chappie is for you! :)

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Tao En**

The staircase itself seemed to go on forever and the landing it led to was no exception. It was a wide, hostile-looking area, what with the skulls and human bones littering the floor. Absence of furniture certainly wasn't helping any either.

"Ugh... It still hurts..." whined the now-conscious Horohoro. "Crap! I'm hearing a ringing noise in my head."

"Are you okay?" asked concerned Yoh.

Ryu, listening in to the conversation decided to make Horohoro feel better with his sympathetic words. "After taking such a beating, I am not surprised."

He then went back to observing his surroundings warily. "What really creeps me out is being in this kind of place. I get a bad feeling in here. All of these corpses scattered on the floor... I never realized such crazy people existed!" he said, looking utterly disgusted.

Jun and Ren stopped in their tracks, hanging their heads low in what seemed to be shame.

Manta, noticing this, discreetly scolded Ryu who realized his mistake only too late.

"Manta. No need to worry about it. I understand." said the younger Tao. "But because of our situation we have to be careful. We will soon meet the one who rules this place. Tao En." His face hardened, making him look absolutely determined and merciless. "I'm going to say this just one more time. This is my battle. Those who fear death can leave."

Stunned silence ensued, everyone staring at the battered form of the short boy before them.

"Ren..."

Whatever Yoh was about to say was completely forgotten when they heard the evil laughter.

"To hear you utter such caring words... It is most amazing. It has only been a little while since you left, and yet you have become so soft, Ren." said the thundering voice, making hair on my arms stand up.

_It's him. _The shadows around me pulsed violently, reacting to my agitation.

Out of nowhere, a giant form of a moustached man with the Tao tattoo on his abdomen, sitting on an intricately carved robust throne, appeared before the group.

They all cried out in fright as the man landed before them.

"Who's that?!" asked Horohoro. "It looked like he fell from the sky in his chair!"

Yoh, equally astonished, shouted: "Eh? Did everyone see where he came from?! And that's a weird moustache!"

"No way! Can it be?!" questioned Ryu. "That's Ren's father?! Tao En?!"

Peering at the group from behind his eyelashes, the giant man spoke again. "I welcome you all. I know you have been taking good care of my son. But that..." he lifted his gaze, immediately setting off alarms in my head.

"... Is of no relevance to me."

He abruptly lifted his muscled arm, pointing his index finger in our direction, intent on moving it forward and jabbing it where we stood.

Jun, seeing through his actions warned everyone. "Get down!"

The attack crushed the stone tiles, clouds of smoke rising from our earlier location.

"What a bastard!" snarled Ryu, activating his oversoul just as Horohoro did the same.

"If he wants a fight, Then we just have to give it to him!" hollered the Inu tribe shaman, attacking.

He managed to freeze En's right shoulder, making his arm fall off, while Ryu mirrored his action by cutting the other arm right above the elbow.

"Those idiots!" I cursed. "Treating him like you would a human opponent!"

With faces full of dread, they both stared at the result of their attacks. "What the...? His arm just fell off!"

"It's not possible! That was way too easy!" agreed Ryu, gritting his teeth.

That's when fully regenerated En appeared behind them, mockingly scratching his chin. "You are much too young. And that... Makes you fear the killing of another person."

The two offenders were then pushed by En's two outstretched fingers, making them fly across the whole room.

"Ryu! Horohoro!" cried out Ren, catching En's attention.

"Here you are." said the giant man, lunging at his own son from behind. "Wasting your time worrying about your friends... When did you become so emotional?"

The younger Tao turned around just in time, swinging his arm back in order to bring his kwan dao down on his father's from with more power. "You monster!" he growled, looking as if he was possessed by a demon.

"Too late. You're already open for my attack." announced the older man victoriously, but before his strike could land on its target, Bailong appeared out of nowhere, kicking his head with full force.

Unnoticed, Jun moved to stand behind the head of the Tao family. "En."she pronounced gravely. "I do not want you as my father. You are not even human." Gripping her fist tightly, she then came to her own conclusion. "That head of yours... I will not regret taking it off."

Looking bored, En turned his head sideways to stare at her. "Jun. If you must kill, then don't just talk about it. Do don't have time to talk. Haven't you learned anything?" Gripping Bailong by his torso, he threw him into the nearest wall.

"Wh-Who is this moustache guy?" whispered Manta, beyond himself with fear. "He can grow his arm back and even a kick to his head is nothing to him. En... Is immortal?!"

Ren spoke my thoughts exactly as he activated his oversoul and ran to En. "There is no such thing as immortality! There must some way to beat him!"

_Use your eyes, Ren. That is the key to beating him._

Shifting his position once again, En now was back on his throne, right behind Ren. Resting his chin in his palm, he looked extremely uninterested in the group's desperate attempts to defeat him.

"Do you believe I have some secret to my power?" he chuckled to himself ruffly. "Even if that was so, you cannot discover it. You have left the path I have made and have become weak."

Unperturbed by the young shaman's maddened expression, he continued, "Those who have fallen from the right path can never find their way back."

"Tao." hissed the golden-eyed teenager.

"Everyone has a path they must follow. Only the weak lose their way."

Ren lost his patience, opting to use his father's speech to his advantage and charged at the giant. "Talk all you want while I attack!"

To the shock of all present, Ren flew right through his enemy, shattering the throne with his oversoul.

En's tattered and now obviously incorporeal body stood up, lips of his unattached head forming sentences as if nothing was wrong. "If you left the path, you will never return. Do you really believe friendship is the best path? Everyone follows the path given to them. Humans are unable to get along. As my son, if you leave the path, you leave my path also."

Now fully realizing the direness of his father's words, Ren had no way of dodging what was to come as he was still in midair.

"If you do not take my words, then you must die, Ren." said the head coldly, his cut-off arm flying in the said shaman's direction.

_Oh fuck._

Catching the movement from the corner of my eye, I saw Yoh rushing to Ren's help.

_Time to taste blood. _

Making my split-second decision, I jumped out of Yoh's shadow, using the boost my crossing between two realms gave me, and stood before the two boys, blocking the attack with my already oversouled deerhorn knives.

Roaring, I pushed the arm back, throwing it back at En. He, in turn stared at me, his eyes darkening.

"Yin." he snarled.

"En." I bit back with all the hate I felt for the man.

"If you've decided to return and beg for forgiveness, you are too late." he said smugly.

Knowing he was trying to get rise out of me, I remained calm, even managed to appear nonchalant. "Oh really? That's good then. I might have to reconsider my revenge if you showed you actually had enough human emotions to know what 'forgiveness' is."

En was obviously about to yell something in response but was interrupted by a very confused-sounding Ren. "Who the hell are you?!"


	7. The Family Matters

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Well, well, well... It seems like now you're going to find out Yin's identity. Tell me what you think about her! Enjoy! P.S. Thank you for reviewing, Yumi61! Please feel free to do so now, too!

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Family Matters**

_**Previously...**_

"_Yin." he snarled._

"_En." I bit back with all the hate I felt for the man._

"_If you've decided to return and beg for forgiveness, you are too late." he said smugly._

_Knowing he was trying to get rise out of me, I remained calm, even managed to appear nonchalant. "Oh really? That's good then. I might have to reconsider my revenge if you showed you actually had enough human emotions to know what 'forgiveness' is."_

_En was obviously about to yell something in response but was interrupted by a very confused-sounding Ren. "Who the hell are you?!"_

I ignored him, but En didn't seem very inclined to do so.

"Ho? So you hadn't told them about yourself?" he asked, pointedly looking in Ren's and then Jun's direction.

I grinned wolfishly, instantly spotting my chance to turn the tide. "No. And it seems like there was really no need to, seeing as they turned on you even without me being added to the mix."

_Now, only to add the cherry on top._

"Tell me, En. How does it feel to know all your children decided to defy you, even be willing to go as far as kill you?"

His jaw clenched and his posture went stiff. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing much. Just that if I were you, I would seriously start doubting my way of doing things. You know, when your own family tries to take you down... It says something." I shrugged, closely watching his every move, looking for the opening I needed.

And just like that, I saw it. Violent fluctuation in his furyoku that enabled me to see his true form.

"YAMI! SHADOW COCOON!" I yelled, swiftly pocketing my deerhorn knives and untying the long silver sash I wore tied loosely around my waist.

Following my order down to the dot, Yami canceled my previous oversoul and merged with the sash. Its color turned into a midnight blue of my spirit's eyes, elongating and shooting through the fake form of En with ease, snaking around his true body.

_Now to shatter the Daidouho... _I took a big breath, pushing a great amount of furyoku into my oversouled sash, my own energy clashing with that of my opponent.

I stood my ground, sending steady waves of energy forth, slowly overpowering En's wavering one.

Probably feeling he was about to lose, En withdrew his furyoku, dispelling his giant human-like oversoul.

"A-An oversoul?!" stuttered Jun behind me. "B-But that would mean...!"

I didn't say anything even though I knew what was going through her head. I left that task to Ren.

"Yes. You're correct. Ever since we were young, he was always wearing that oversoul such that we wouldn't even notice it was an oversoul all along."

"Smart one, aren't you Rennie?" I joked, getting immense satisfaction from the death glare he threw me. "That man standing before us right now is the true Tao En."

They all turned to stare at the tall, robed man. His face bore the exact same characteristics as his oversoul, only he had longer beard and hair, which was pinned at the top of his head, looking like a spike. He was also much slimmer than his fake persona, wore traditional chinese robes and held a very old-looking jian in his right hand.

Seeing no point of keeping him tied up any longer, I tugged on the sash that was still wrapped around his torso, making it come back to me. I gingerly wrapped it back around my waist, mindful of the sharp deerhorn knives strapped to my left hip.

"I knew it had to be some kind of a trick!" huffed Horohoro, puffing his cheeks.

Ryu crossed his arms on his chest, looking as if he just got the closure he was expecting. "We got fooled even though I could not understand how such a big man could exist."

"He looks pretty normal without his oversoul." remarked Yoh off-handedly.

_Looks are indeed deceiving._ I agreed, not all impressed with En's appearance. I had seen it once before and there was no way I would let it throw me off this time.

"No, he's not normal!" barked Ren suddenly. "He has been using that oversoul for many years now! Such massive amount of furyoku is not normal! And he used it to lie to his children because he didn't even trust us!"

"Oh, please!" I sneered. "Don't tell me lack of trust from this bastard bothers you. If that is so, you obviously haven't learned anything."

He gave me an even more intense glare than before, but at least he stayed quiet.

"Don't think you've won just yet." spoke up En.

"You lost the moment you doubted yourself." I shot back.

His demeanor darkened, denial written all across his face. "I have not lost my way. I was just a little startled."

_What bullshit._

He conveniently ignored the incredulous looks we gave him, his eyes glazing over in a way that suggested he was reminiscing. "Yes... I could never deceive myself..." Two steady streams of tears slid down his cheeks. "The sorrow of us humans calls forth mercy. If such a truth should be recognized... See for yourself." En pulled down his coat, upper shirt and skirt, revealing hundreds upon hundreds of mortuary tablets tied over his fighting clothes.

Out of the tablets flew numerous souls, completely filling the room. "They could share with you the truth. The souls of every member of the Tao dynasty for last 2000 years."

_Well, damn. I didn't account for this._

"The ancestors of the Taos?!" exclaimed Horohoro.

"Look at all those souls!" breathed out dumbfounded Ryu, while all the others stared in silence.

Assuming the fighting stance with my deerhorn knives at the ready, I stood in front of the group, even before the Tao head opened his mouth again.

"My oversoul Daidouho is an oversoul forged from all these spirits. I shall do all I can within my power to fulfill their wishes, for their existence is my existence."

"Daidouho..." whispered Ren.

En wiped his tears with the back of his braced hand, his determined eyes flitting between me and the two chinese siblings to my right.

"Ren, Jun, Yin and Bason. As members of the Tao family you are well aware of what our family has been through."

Jun and Ren looked solemn for a second, until they both turned to stare at me, mouths hanging open.

_Oh sweet What now?_ I considered face-palming myself, but quickly thought better of it as the knives in my hands glinted. _I'll just ignore them. Yeah._

"Well, well, well. Now you consider me a family, _**father**_?" I snarled. "I wonder where that sense of belonging went during our torture sessions?"

Horrified gasps resounded behind me, but I couldn't bring myself to stop anymore. My memory-induced rage and hate mixing, I started seeing red. "For years, every single day, you _**cut me open**_. Always at _**the same hour**_, always in _**the same room**_ and always with_** thirty-four well-placed cuts**_. Just because I was born a_ **girl**!_ _**AND NOW **__**YOU ****DARE CALL ME A FAMILY MEMBER****?!**_"

The bastard had the nerve to sigh dramatically as if he was tired of lecturing a stubborn kid. "I see there is no reasoning with you, Yin. Oversoul Daidouryu!"

I made my black oversouled deerhorn knives grow five times their size, meeting the dragon head-on. With a battle roar, I cleanly cut it from its head to tail, causing it to explode and for the souls to scatter.

My bloodlust grew as I caught sight of En, trying to oversoul his jian with a random Tao spirit he plucked from the air.

I ran in his direction, going for the killing blow. At the last moment, however, our blades met with a tell-tale ring.

We grappled for dominance for a while, my crossed knives against his single sword.

I watched as a single sweat drop rolled down from his forehead, clear sign of how much he had to exert himself just to keep me at bay. Scowling, I raised my left leg, which I wasn't using as main leverage, and kicked his own leg from under him.

The grip on his jian slackened and he staggered backwards, trying desperately not to fall.

I lowered myself to the ground and rushed after him, using the momentum of my trek to enhance the power of my next slash. With the knife held in my left hand, I got a clear cut across his stomach, making him hiss in pain even though the armor of mortuary tablets took most of the damage.

He toppled over, landing on the ground with his back. Bending forward, I used my other knife to cut his left leg down from his knee to his ankle.

The pain made him recover sooner as he kicked my collar bone with his unhurt leg, this time making me back away from him, gasping for breath.

He rolled to the right, grasping the hilt of the jian he let go of during the fall and used his free arm to push himself up.

With only one good leg, he was a bit wobbly, which hindered his usually good reaction time, giving me the opportunity to get to his back from the right. I slashed diagonally across his back, blood readily flowing down.

His knees buckled under him with the new excruciating sensation, this one worse than the others because there were no mortuary tablets to lessen the damage, seeing as their holder had fallen off after the stomach slash.

Having only now realized this fight wasn't going his way at all, En abruptly switched the jian from his right hand to his left, taking me by surprise a bit.

His try at the attack was, however, easy to parry because of the awkward position he was in and because it was hard to turn 180 degrees on one knee, being careful not to put weight on the hurt one at the same time. He was panting and shaking, the blood loss clearly getting to him.

I kicked his sword out of his hand, the fine weapon landing ten feet away from us with a clutter. Knowing he was still strong enough to break my bones with his bare hands, I stood out of his reach, but towering over him nonetheless.

He tried to lunge for my armed hand once, which earned him a deeply slit wrist. He quietly stared me in the eyes after that, his own golden orbs searching for something in mine.

"I-I see now." he panted heavily, his eyes slightly unfocused.

I, being familiar with the state he was in, knew he was hallucinating. And even though I knew I could amend this state right away by simply causing him more pain, I didn't really want to bring him back to reality.

No matter how much I detested him for torturing me, somewhere deep inside I felt I needed to be grateful to him in a way. By making me hate him, he spared me the mindless slavery Jun and Ren had to go through.

_Geez. Hao would laugh at me for this sentiment._

Decision made, I was about to step away from the delusional man when the door burst open.


	8. Stories Of Past

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! Hey guys! Been looking forward to this? I certainly have and I know what is going to happen next! *evil laugh* So, we finally get to know Yin's past. Surely you've made your guesses by now, but were they correct? Find out now! Oh yeah, I forgot! We get to see Hao very soon! (In the next chappie, in fact) Aren't you glad? So Review!

**Cheongsam – **chinese female dress, like the one Jun wears

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Stories of Past**

"That's enough." came a female voice from the doorway.

_Is that...?_

Turning, I saw exactly the person I expected. My mother, Tao Ran, along with her father and my grandfather, Tao Ching.

Spotting them also, Jun and Ren could not help but stare at them. "Grandfather...? Mother...?" they asked simultaneously.

The two newcomers simply stood at the doorway, appearing a little lost, as if they had expected to see something else.

At last, mother,looking extremely confused, stepped into the room, her eyes shifting over the forms of all of us, carefully inspecting us.

"Father!" she said accusingly after she was done, glaring at the short man still standing where she left him. "I thought you said Ren and Jun were fighting En and that he would surely kill them!"

For the first time in my life, I witnessed my grandfather being at loss for words. "I-I swear that was exactly what was going on until a short while ago." he finally stuttered.

_Wow. I guess there really **is** first for everything..._

Thankfully, Yami snapped me out of my daydreaming.** "Mistress, if I may, I think it's high time for us to leave."**

"Not yet, Yami. I'm afraid I still have something to do." I answered him with a whisper, suddenly feeling unsure if my attempt at mercy won't cost me more than I expected.

Taking a deep breath, I moved from my father's now nearly unconscious body and spoke. "Mother, Grandfather, I'm not exactly sure why you came, but if you want to keep your current clan head alive, I suggest you call for a doctor." It was then that En fainted, falling to the floor with a heavy thud. "And quickly." I added.

I saw the little bald elderly nod, leaving the room in search of the family healer.

My mother, on the other hand, stared at me intensely, making me squirm under her gaze. After two very slowly progressing seconds, she smiled. Her smile was genuine, not sarcastic like the one I was used to seeing.

"Yin." she said softly, as if saying my name just a little louder would make me run like a frightened animal.

She laughed at my puzzled expression, deciding to joke with me. "You got your clothes bloody. Again. Really, it's admirable how you even managed to live among humans all these years... They tend to overreact at mere sight of blood."

I chuckled, which earned me a curious glance from the -haired woman. "It seems like my problems with blood only appear when I'm at the Tao mansion..."

Obviously glad we found a safe common ground, she stepped to me, brushing my own loose strand of indigo hair behind my ear.

I accepted the gesture silently, understanding this was a way she tried to tell me she cared.

_But it's too late to change now, Mom._

Suddenly two Jiang Shi, wearing white coats burst in, ran to En's side, checked his vitals and strapped him to the stretcher they brought with them in record time and left just as abruptly, leaving all of us speechless.

The next thing I knew, Grandfather Ching came in, smiling as if it was Christmas tomorrow and he found out what he was going to get. "Well, now that that's resolved, how about we have a party?"

_Say what?_

"What a wonderful idea!" cheered my mother.

_Huh?_

She grabbed my hand, dragging me out of the room. "I'll get Yin a clean change of clothes. You guys can go ahead." she called over her shoulder.

_Wait a sec! I'm not here to party!_

* * *

In the end, I got no say on the matter.

Mother found me a long white silk cheongsam with high slits on both legs and ornate black, blue and purple butterflies running down from the left hip to the silver edging reaching my right ankle. She then handed me a black travel sack with the Tao mark for my bloodied clothes.

Once I was properly clothed and my haired pulled back in a neat bun, the delighted woman led me out of her chambers in a hurry, ushering me to one of the many reception rooms.

What we saw when we came in, was a rather comical sight. Yoh's buddies, along with Ren, Jun and Bailong, stood awkwardly around a round table full of food, with a roasted pig at the center.

The only person sitting was grandfather.

"It doesn't make any sense." announced Yoh without any emotion whatsoever, making the old man laugh like I never heard him do.

Placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands, he tried to diminish their suspicions. "Nothing to be confused about. I was just surprised that Ren had made so many friends... This is just a banquet of celebration."

Ryu and Horohoro looked about ready to give in, salivating upon closer inspection of the food.

"A banquet... Can we really trust these guys?" questioned the younger of the two, trying to discreetly wipe his mouth. Thinking of something, he reluctantly turned to the roasted pig and pointed at it. "Will that thing attack us?"

Mother, finding his actions hilarious answered his inquiry. "Not at all! We didn't even poison it!"

… _Doesn't seem like I'm going to leave soon. Might as well just get comfortable._ I sat down on the closest unoccupied chair, inwardly glad no one paid any attention to my presence.

Yoh didn't seem to find Ran's joke funny. "I still don't believe it. The father was trying to kill us moments ago... And isn't the Tao family a symbol of evil?"

Ching sighed and closed his eyes before speaking, probably having realized there would be no banquet at all if the things stayed as they were. "Very well... I'll explain. What you said is true. In the past we have killed many people in order to defend our beliefs. Because of this we are known as evil." He stood up from his seat and walked to the window, clasping his hands behind his back. "But such a mentality, in an ever-changing world is meaningless."

"Ever-changing world?" asked Ren sounding honestly curious.

"You just need to look. Take a good look at the scenery of China. During the day, the mountains are beautiful. But at night, they become terrifying and cause people to shudder. Light and darkness. Beauty and ugliness. Good and evil. They have always been around and are in constant battle."

My own face scrunched up in distaste at the mention of the first antonym, my preference probably being influenced by my spirit.

"However each one must hold the other down. Ensuring that there is balance. Both sides must exist and be accepted. En... He was always trying to do what he could for the family-"

I snorted. "Yeah right. And I'm a twenty-feet-long chinese dragon bringing good fortune when kicked..."

Grandfather ignored me for the sake of his speech, but the sharp turning of his head told me he heard every word and would discuss it with me later.

"-but instead he became close-minded and fell from his path. A great spirit cannot remain in a weak soul. Because of that, he failed. Unlike you, Ren. You walk your own path like a true Tao."

Ren reacted quickly, trying to prove the Tao elder was mistaken. "You're wrong. I didn't defeat En. She did." he said, gesturing in my direction with his head.

Despite being shorter, at that moment, I could swear the old man was looking down on Ren. "That is irrelevant. Today you fought for own beliefs in spite of knowing just how strong your father was. You found your own path and stood up for it against all odds. That is the true Tao way. You'll see what I'm talking about later."

As if he was putting on a mask, he returned to his earlier childish act. "Now, let's eat!"

Everyone sat down, which I didn't enjoy very much. Most likely because I was positioned right between Bailong and Ryu and opposite of me sat Ren, who was staring at me so hard, I was inwardly fidgeting.

Noticing this, Jun placed down her chopsticks. "Mother, Grandfather..." she started carefully, effectively catching their attention. "I know this is not proper, but I believe everyone in the room would like to know who ...'the guest' is..."

_There goes my dinner. I wonder what Opacho and Hao are having..._

They both stood up and went to stand behind me, each placing their hand on the back of my chair.

"Tao family has many 'dirty' secrets as you would call them..." began mother, actually sounding uncertain. "And she," she moved her hand on my shoulder and squeezed, "is one of the dirtiest ones."

"Ren, Jun. Meet your sister, Tao Yin." proclaimed Ching, his gaze hard as he rested it on my siblings.

The young Tao male looked at me then, his look calculating. "So En was telling the truth when he said we were family. But why is her existence one of the Taos' dirtiest secrets?"

My palms started sweating but I refused to give in to the wave of queasiness running through me and decided to stop acting like I wasn't there and they weren't talking about _**me**_.

"When I was born," I stated weakly, "I was found to possess such a high furyoku level, it was deemed inhuman. In fear of me hurting Jun, who was two years old at the time, I have been put into isolation with only mother, father, grandfather having the access to me. As I was about to start my training when I turned four, _**you**_ were born." I said, my orbs boring into the exactly same shade of gold of Ren's eyes I had.

Mother took my pause as a sign for her to take up the story-telling. "When you were born, Ren, En was disappointed. Your furyoku level was nowhere near Yin's, and as you started your own training, it became painfully obvious she also had natural talent for mastering not only different kinds of weapon but also the greatest Daoshi techniques. Unlike you. En couldn't take the thought of having a weak male heir and extremely powerful daughter, so he made your training sessions longer and harsher and Yin's more sloppy, but painful at the same time. I tried talking to him, but he wouldn't listen to me and started to outright ignore me when I suggested making you train together." she rasped, unable to say anymore than she had.

Grandfather patted her on the knee reassuringly, taking over where she left off. "Your father, however, refused and this went on for years. In that time, Ren showed great progress, making En delighted. Wanting to make sure Yin could never reach for what she had potential, he stopped giving her training sessions altogether and instead turned them into beatings. When she was-"

"Stop there." I cut off my grandfather. The way they told my life story made me sick. Like I was some kind of a holy martyr who needed to be pitied. And I wouldn't have any of that.

"What Grandfather was about to say is that when I turned 7 I finally snapped and attacked En seriously, catching him by surprise and finding out the secret of Daidouho. As a punishment, he threw me into the dungeon with only minimum rations, coming to torture me every day. Trying to ensure I got at least _**some**_ decent training and that I didn't go insane in there, mother would occasionally sent her Jiang Shi, Shu or Kyo, to train me."

I took in all of the pitying glances, reigning in the angry shouts that threatened to spill out of my mouth.

"With few visits from Grandfather, I quickly improved to the point at which I could escape. Mother prepared me a safe account that only I could access, solving the financial problems I would face in the outer world, literally buying me my freedom. And like that, after two years, I ran away. The end."

I hadn't even noticed I rose sometime during the speech, but couldn't bring myself to care. I grabbed the travel sack that I hung on the chair I was sitting in, along with my jian that I now slung over my shoulder.

"Now I'm an independent woman, strong fighter, skilled Daoshi and gifted shaman and once the Shaman fight starts, I'll show just how wrong you are to pity me." I barked, glaring at very single person in the room aside from the two older Taos, noting their stunned silence with immense satisfaction.

"Goodbye." I said to my grandfather and mother, opening the window and jumping out of it into the night.


	9. Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Hey there! Finally the moment you've been all waiting for! The first interaction between Yin and Hao! So... What is their relationship like? Do they hate each other? Is it all a business? Or is it something more personal? You'll have to read on to find out!

**Cheongsam – **chinese female dress like the one Jun wears

**Jian – **chinese sword (forgot to mention this one in the last chappie)

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Home Sweet Home**

After my not-so-great escape from the Tao mansion, I decided getting back home as quickly as I could was my top priority. Thankfully, I had my spirit to help with that.

Traveling in the Shadow Realm was easier and much faster than going by train or even boat thanks to the distortion of time, but it had its own disadvantages. No change of scenery and lack of sounds were only few of those.

"Hey, Yami?" I finally broke the heavy silence settling upon us.

"**Yes, Mistress?"**

"Do you... Do you think I did the right thing, leaving like that? I mean, I did leave behind Yoh..." I mumbled, hoping the spirit would somehow help lift my mood.

Yami, however, opted to stay silent.

"Okay, I got it. I screwed up." _And Hao won't let me forget about it for a _**_long_**_, long time__._ I added to myself, gulping. "Let's just hope we manage to squeeze in some rest before the interrogation."

"**Yeah, let's." **sighed my spirit sounding uncharacteristically exhausted.

* * *

_**Two days later...**_

For the first time in two long months, I was standing at the front porch of my house.

Frantically digging inside the travel sack I got from mother, I pulled out my house key and rammed it into the lock. Once I heard the familiar 'click' I slid the door open and locked it behind me, purely out of habit.

Kicking off my white silk flats, I strode down the hallway like a zombie, excessive use of furyoku leaving me fatigued, exhausted and a bit on the edge.

I didn't bother to look around, I simply marched into my room, grabbed clean underwear from my dresser and practically ran into my personal bathroom.

After taking a quick hot shower, I put on the underwear and short, black silk bathrobe like I always did after cleaning up. Brushing my teeth in record speed, I got out of the small tiled room and threw myself on my queen-sized bed with purple sheets. Totally drained, I managed to muster up enough energy to get under the comforter and fell asleep like a baby.

I woke up to feeling my bed's mattress dip under added weight.

"I didn't expect you to return in another week or two." said a deep baritone from behind me.

I groaned inwardly, already feeling miserable. "Things happened." I answered gruffly, refusing to turn around and face the one who invaded my most personal space so casually.

My flatmate chuckled, his warm breath tickling the short hair at the nape of my neck. "I can see that."

"That's great." I said wryly. "Then I'm sure you can see why my report will have to wait for a few hours."

He outright laughed then, making me cringe at the loud sound when all I wanted was to go back to sleep. "Fine then," he agreed at last. "Have your few hours of dreamless sleep. But know I'll expect your full report in the afternoon."

I nodded, just grateful he complied.

My mind was about to be claimed by the land of dreams when he spoke again.

"Aren't you going to tell me to get out of your bed?" He sounded highly amused, which in turn inspired my own mischievous persona, though I managed to squash it down.

"We both know you wouldn't listen to me even if I told you to. Now just let me sleep, Hao."

His silence was as good as yes, so I let myself drift off again, lulled by his soft chuckles.

* * *

When I woke up again, I was alone. _And thank all deities for that._

I grabbed my usual clothes consisting of an extremely short, fitting sapphire blue cheongsam top that reached barely two and half inches past my breasts, short white cycling shorts, sapphire blue loincloth and my spare silver sash and went back to the bathroom, trying to make myself look presentable.

I brushed up half of my hair, putting it on top of my head as a bun, held in place by a simple silver hairpin with black pearl on top of it, while letting the lower half of my hair fall freely over my shoulders. All that was left was to strap on my white oracle bell.

_Now I'm ready to face the world._ I thought grimly, remembering that to face the world, I would have to first face Hao and possibly, his disappointment.

Taking one last look around my disarrayed safe haven, I stepped out, heading for the living room.

"Ah! Yin-sama! Welcome home." chirped a kid's voice.

I couldn't help but smile. The little african child always managed to caress that soft spot I had. "Hello to you too, Opacho."

Dutifully, the little girl moved a little to the right, making space for me on the couch. Not wanting to offend her, I sat down, still smiling.

"How was your trip to China?" she asked, her guileless eyes shining with a little knowing spark.

I, being used to living with two people who can read minds, let her fully into mine, blurring the most gruesome and cruel scenes a little.

"Awww. Opacho wanted to see pandas, too!" she cried out when she was done, slight pressure of her mind on my own receding.

I sweat-dropped. _All of those fights and she picks up the most insignificant thing that happened to me on my way there?_

"I'm sorry, dear. Maybe next time we'll all go?" I asked, already picturing our odd group climbing the mountains of China and exploring its forests.

Opacho pouted but nodded. "Okay."

"Oh? So you've been to China..." said Hao, who was now leaning against the door frame leading into kitchen. "Without telling me, too." he added, his eyes darkening.

Chills running down my spine, I tried to cover it by scratching the back of my head nervously. "Ha ha. I guess I forgot to tell you, in all that hurry..."

"Is that so?" he smiled coldly and my blood practically froze.

_Well damn. This doesn't look good._

Years of experience taught me that when Hao started forcing his smile, you either ran or started begging. With running away being out of question, and begging not being my style, I had think of something else. Like trying to amend my mistake.

"How about we do this the quick way? I haven't eaten anything in..." I stopped, trying to remember when exactly I had last had any meal. "Three days?" I said, astonishing even myself.

Hao frowned, crossing his arms on his chest. "I thought you hated it when _**I**_ probed around your head."

"I don't exactly hate it when _**you**_ read my mind. I just hate it when you _**use what you see**_ to tease me afterwards." I grumbled, trying hard not to remember of all those times he revealed my secrets and got me into some_** really **_embarrassing situations.

After a long staring contest between us, he sighed and moved to stand above me, not breaking the eye contact.

With a weak shudder, I lowered my inner defenses further than I had when I let in Opacho.

Remembering the process, I pictured myself sitting in the tree that day when Bason came to ask Yoh for help. Once the image crystallized, I handed the control over to Hao, whose heavy presence already invaded my unprotected privacy.

Together, we watched everything that happened between my decision to follow the group of misfits and my sudden leave of the Tao mansion. I cringed every time Hao stopped the memory images and asked me to elaborate on something.

I would always glare at him, knowing full well he knew my reasons. He was in my head, after all. He knew everything I did and thought at the time.

When we were done, I felt ready to attack the fridge. I was so hungry, I was willing to eat about anything.

Hao smirked at me, probably enjoying seeing me so restless.

"I hate to tell you this," he started, my dread flaring up. "There is nothing left in the fridge. Or the pantry."

My eyes almost bulged out. "What?!" I hissed, standing up. "You can't be serious!"

"It's true!" piped up Opacho defensively. "Hao-sama and Opacho have gone camping for the last two weeks and only returned this morning."

I died a little on the inside when the little girl confirmed Hao's announcement. _B-But the closest supermarket is 20-minute's walk away!_

Still mentally unstable, I fought back the tears that threatened to spill. Seeing this, Hao broke out into hysterical laughter, which served as the push I needed.

"Hao." I growled and latched onto his wrist. "You, me, shopping. _**Right now**_." Opacho looked at me questioningly and I motioned for her to come too before I led our group out of the house.

Hao didn't protest or even try to free his arm from my grasp throughout all of our little journey. He simply continued to chuckle.


	10. Ordinary Life

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! So what did you guys think of the interaction between the two? I find it partly hilarious and partly cute. I didn't know that portraying Hao a bit more human-like was going to be so much fun! And then this chappie came into being... Lol. I'm sorry if I made him a bit too OOC but there practically no way in describing him in any ordinary situation without making him act a bit uncharacteristically... Many thanks to **Yumi61** and **Irisa19** for their kind reviews! And now... Enjoy!

* * *

**YUUKI'S HANDY DICTIONARY!**

**Zhajiangmian – **traditional Chinese noodle dish topped with a mixture of ground pork stir-fried with salty fermented soy-bean paste

**Luohan Zhai – **vegetarian chinese dish also known as 'Buddha's delight' (There are too many variations for me to name the ingredients -.-")

**Jian – **chinese sword

**Rope dart – **type of traditional chinese weapon consisting of a rope from 3 to 5 meters long and sharp metal dart on the end and red (or generally colorful) piece of cloth tied around 20 centimeters before the dart to confuse the enemy. (Can also have two darts, one on each end.) It is said to be extremely hard to wield it properly. (Just look it up on youtube and you'll know what I mean)

**Golem – **animated anhropomorfic being created from inanimate matter like rock, soil etc. It is said that it can be controlled by humans when certain conditions are fulfilled. The most famous tale of golem is told by a certain 16th century rabbi of Prague, hence the location mentioned later. I also used the idea of golems because Prague is the capital of a country neighboring mine and I've been to the city many times. It's really beautiful. (If you like the historic stuff, that is...)

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Ordinary Life**

"This, this and this." I said, pointing at three different kinds of biscuits, fully expecting Hao to get them and put them into the cart.

"What would you like, Opacho?" I asked the little girl walking by my side.

She looked thoughtful for a second and then pointed at a pack of chocolate chip cookies. "That!" she called out cutely and I giggled.

"Okay." I said as I reached for the yellow pack and took it off the metal shelf.

Turning, I walked back to the ridiculous-looking Hao, who was left with the task of pushing the cart. Which was really a sight I had to get used to.

"I think we've got all we need." I told him proudly and laughed as I noticed his shoulders sagging with relief.

* * *

In no time at all, we were out of the supermarket, both of us carrying two full grocery bags.

_Now, what should I make for dinner?_ Truth to be told, I had two particular dishes in mind but couldn't decide which one to make. _Zhajiangmian or Luohan Zhai?_

"Definitely Zhajiangmian." said Hao suddenly.

"If you say so..." I agreed, for once thankful for his ability. There was no way you would catch me dead asking Hao what he would like for dinner. No. Way.

Yes, it was an unspoken rule in our house that I was the cook, but me asking for his preferences would make us look too... domestic. That was one of the reasons why we almost never went shopping together unless there was too much for me to carry by myself. It just didn't feel right.

We were quiet for a while, me enjoying being back home, Opacho skipping happily in front of us and Hao obviously thinking about something.

Giving up, I finally spoke of my own accord. "Out with it."

Hao and Opacho stopped, the latter looking at me interestedly while the first refused to look at me at all.

"Why had you decided to return?"

I looked at the quickly darkening sky thoughtfully, thinking of some sensible answer to his question.

"You've seen my memories, Hao. You should know."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him scowl at me, his black orbs holding all of that severity and knowledge he rarely showed. "I do. But I want to hear it from you."

My gaze never leaving the colorful scene, I tried to voice what I felt. "Back at the Tao mansion... With my mother and grandfather... I saw what could have been. You know, me growing up to be a legendary Daoshi or Shaman, having all of my family stand behind me and push me to win the Shaman fight... It could have been nice."

I felt the truth of my words when I finally heard them with my own ears, longing I never knew I had clawing at my heart.

Taking a deep breath, I continued. "But at the same time, I realized that wouldn't be me. Even before my father almost destroyed me, I had a hard time following orders and all those old-fashioned rules would only drag me down. Living like that would have eventually killed me." The clawing faded, letting me breathe more easily. "But being here with you guys..." I looked at them then, allowing myself to smile fondly.

"It feels good. Having this freedom, this purpose. Everything I went through is meaningful. I know I make difference, this way. Not to mention all the fun I've had ever since we met, Hao. And don't you dare deny it." I finished with a mischievous smirk.

His face contorted into something between a deadly glare and amused smirk, which made me laugh so hard, I almost dropped the grocery bags. "Oh come on. Don't tell me haven't had fun even once. Surely, that time in Shanghai-"

"Definitely not then." he cut in resolutely, daring me to say any more of that particular event as he started walking again.

I threw him a fake hurt look and followed closely behind him. "There was also that incident in Prague..."

"That one was your fault."

I did not miss how the corners of his mouth twitched, threatening to turn into a full-fledged smile.

"What happened in Prague?" questioned our little entourage innocently.

I grinned, carefully studying Hao's face. He didn't seem to be opposed to me telling the story, so I did.

"Hao and I followed a certain rumor about a powerful family of golem-makers, which led us to Prague. I was 13 at the time, making Hao 11.

"After three days of searching, we found one of the family members and Hao approached him like he always did with possible recruits. The man... I think his name was Petr, outright refused and even mocked us. Before Hao could even threaten the man or reason with him, two police officers burst in, saying they got a report about two underage kids wandering around. Needless to say, we were ready to take care of them all, but as it turned out, the two uniforms had been asking around for a while and managed to gather quite a crowd of onlookers.

"We needed to keep a low profile so in the end, we went with the policemen and spent a whole week in the orphanage before we could escape. Unfortunately for Hao, the other kids had taken quite a liking to him and followed him all day and even at night. It was really funny, watching him try to get free of them." I chuckled.

"But why did Hao-sama say it was Yin-sama's fault?" Opacho asked after a while, making me turn red in embarrassment.

That's precisely when Hao decided to butt in. "Because, my dear Opacho," he said readily, "Yin was the one who inadvertently attracted the attention of the police by wandering around the city alone, at night, all the while talking to 'herself'."

"Yeah, well. Not my fault they couldn't see Yami. If they had, they would think twice about writing me off as a child that needs taking care of." I huffed indignantly.

"You and me both." Hao smiled evilly. "It was worth seeing your flustered face, though."

I turned to him sharply, glaring daggers at his back. "There was only so much I could do with my limited knowledge of English, since_** someone **_refused to speak up."

The annoying male then threw me his best mocking smile and sped up leaving me and Opacho to catch up with him.

* * *

"Here." I said, putting down two steaming bowls of food before my flatmates.

After retrieving my own, I went to sit with them behind the dinner table, silently enjoying the feeling of having dinner with my closest companions.

_Guess I really missed them..._

I dug in into my noodles, all kinds of thoughts running through my head.

_What should I do now that I'm back? Maybe I could train. There is still one week left until the end of the deadline. If I count in two days of rest to gather my strength and one to recover from the training, I have total of 4 days. Enough time to freshen my sword skills and practice with the rope dart..._

"Count in one for meeting up with the rest." Hao remarked.

_Great. So only three. Scratch the rope dart, I'm going to practice with my jian._

Turning to the male before me, I considered asking him for help but thought better of it. He had more important tasks to fulfill than have mock fights with me.

_Then whom could I ask?_

"Ask your spirit." suggested Hao boredly, setting down his chopsticks.

I blinked once, then twice. "That makes sense..." I whispered dumb-founded. _How had I not thought of that sooner?_

Quickly finishing my meal, I gathered Hao's and Opacho's dishes and washed them. Once done, I went to my room, leaving the two to their own devices.

For the first time since I got home, I took real notice of my room. And to say I was not pleased was an understatement.

I was never a very tidy person per say, but I would bet my life on the fact this mess was not caused only by me. Opacho obviously got to my room once or twice, searching through my things and setting them on the floor.

While it made me happy she was starting to get interested into something else than Hao and his plans, I had a very peculiar approach to cleaning. It was necessary, extremely tiring and I always put it off for as long as I could. But once I started cleaning, there was no speck of dust that could escape me. The perfectionist in me simply couldn't allow that to happen.

And now, staring at my room, I got the urge to clean. Acting on it, I started picking up every discarded piece of clothing from the ground, throwing it into the hamper. The next in the line was the jewelery.

I had never been the jewelery type of girl. I did have a passion for collecting hairpins, though. Picking all of the thin and intricate needles from the ground and dusting them off, I gently set them inside their special drawer.

All that was left was to pick up all the books, let the duster do its job, vacuum and if I had any time left, change the sheets.

_This is going to be a long evening,_ I realized.


	11. Reasons To Train

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! … I've rewritten this chapter 4 times! Gee. That sucked. But finally, I made it! To **Yumi61** : I'm glad you like my quick updates! I do too :D And concerning Hao, I have to agree. But that was the plan, you see ;) Hope this chappie clears it up at least a little. Enjoy!

* * *

**YUUKI'S HANDY DICTIONARY!**

**Jian – **chinese sword

**Hakama pants - **... Surely you know those! The japanase pants!

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Reasons To Train**

The next morning, I got up before everyone else and fixed myself a bowl of cereals. After I successfully wolfed it down, I went to our basement (turned dojo) and stretched before calling on my spirit.

"Yami!"

"**Yes, Mistress?"** he asked, already in his usual wolf form.

I patted his head and smiled slyly at his suspicious look. "Will you train with me?"

"**Me, Mistress?"** he asked as if he couldn't believe his own ears.

I sighed and sat down before him, staring deep into his impossibly dark blue eyes. "Yes, you, Yami. I need to practice a bit with my jian and who is better to ask than you?"

"**I thought you said you hated using your father's favorite weapon..." **he drawled on, his usual politeness notched down a bit.

"And yet, I always carry one wherever I go." I said as a matter-of-fact. "Could you just, please help me with this?" I pleaded finally.

"**...Weren't you supposed to rest for two days?"**

I pouted like a kid, trying to get him to comply with my wishes. "Oh, come on. You know how much practicing martial arts helps me relax... Besides my furyoku won't come back any sooner even if I slept those two days..."

His two midnight orbs bore holes into me before he gave in. **"Very well."**

He then transformed, jut like I expected him to. His form dissipated, shifting amorphous blackness standing in his place. Seconds ticked by when the blackness froze and exploded outwards, leaving behind a single person. There, in front of me, stood a tall, slightly muscular man with long black hair tied back into a waist-long thick braid, wearing only a pair of pure black hakama pants.

In his right hand, he held the most beautiful jian I had ever seen. It was obsidian with silver grip and intricately carved guard whose wings were in the shape of two intertwined blue dragon heads. Its pommel had the usual cloud-like shape but instead of floral designs, it depicted the yin-yang symbol surrounded by swirls of black and silver metal. Attached to the end of the pommel was a midnight-blue tassel that divided into two rich straps at the intersection – a silver coin that looked very much like the moon.

The man before me offered me his hand and I took it, letting him to help me get up. He nodded at me approvingly and I walked to the corner of the private dojo to grab my jian from its corner where I left it.

Getting into the appropriate stance, the lesson started.

We circled around each other, taking our time to seize our opponent.

While he was still my spirit, we didn't get to practice together often. And even when we did, it was usually just the attacks that involved furyoku. That's why we had to first test the other.

Spotting my little inattention, he thrust in and I parried it left, immediately using this chance to counter-attack.

Yami jumped back in an instant, very nearly dodging my sword.

Seeing the caution creeping into his focused eyes, it was my turn to make the move.

I jumped up and swung down for his head, only for him to deflect my sword and kick my abdomen.

My body landed on the floor painfully but I quickly got up, coughing. "It sure doesn't seem like this is going to be a waste of time." I choked out.

Yami smirked at me, mirth clearly in his eyes.

From then on, the battle was fierce. I couldn't afford even a second's distraction as we both were extremely serious.

_Parry right. Deflect. Thrust. Back away. Jump. Chop down. Back flip. Kick out._

We went on like that for hours, my body slowing down with each move until Yami feinted an attack from right, making me react to it, which proved to be a mistake when his sword came to instead rest on my throat languidly.

Heaving with exertion, I accepted my loss and stretched on the cool tatami mats.

"**You did good. Very good."** he concluded as he let his sword disappear and sat down beside my sprawled body.

"Thank you." I breathed out sincerely.

His look suddenly hardened as he watched me, very attentively inspecting my face. **"But it still doesn't explain why you want to master the jian until the end of this week."**

I scowled at him, not very happy with the way he insisted I answer his question. Knowing he wouldn't give up unless I gave him a satisfactory reason, I coated my hand with the smallest amount of furyoku and reached for his braid. Tendrils of my spiritual energy trifling with his temporary physical form, his hair turned into shadows. I used those to wrap around my arm, showing him what I wanted him to do.

Understanding the motion, he willed my own shadow to wrap around me and drag me down, back into the empty Shadow Realm.

"Great." I called out cheerfully. "Now I can speak freely."

"**Mistress?"** asked my spirit from beside me, still in his human form.

Ignoring the rare confusion reflected in his voice, I spoke. "You wanted to know why I want to master the jian..."

His head bobbed once, expression stern.

"It is simple, really. If I am to ever effectively defeat someone as skilled with sword as Hao, I need to know everything I can about the weapon."

"**D-Defeat Hao?" **he all but hollered, completely astounded.

"Hm?" I looked at his stone-cold face and cracked up. "Don't tell me you thought we were actually very good friends."

"**But... Yesterday you told Hao you enjoyed being with him!"**

I had to grab at my stomach, I laughed so hard. "My dear, dear Yami... Are you sure you really are the Spirit of Darkness?"

"**The one and only." **he bit back, not at all amused.

Sensing the danger drawing near, I decided to explain. "My relationship with Hao is... Well, let's say it's a shadow play. Everything that we do, or say has a hidden purpose. Only the ones behind the screen know what's really behind it. Like when Hao sent us to watch over Yoh."

"**You..." **his human face scrunched up in distaste as if his next words made him sick. **"You mean to say he wanted to get rid of us for some time...?"**

I would have patted his head if he wasn't standing. "Exactly. Yoh never needed supervision. He could take care of himself well enough. Can you see it now? Our game?"

"**So when he asked you why you returned..."**

"He was confirming my loyalties. And has continued to do so even throughout the dinner, when he was reading my mind. And when he came into my room and woke me up? He tried to show me I had no right for privacy."

My spirit stayed quiet for a while, undoubtedly trying to absorb and understand everything I told him.

"**Since when?"**

I smiled fondly into the darkness, my mind going back all those years. "From the beginning."

The silence between us stretched on but this time, it was comfortable. **"So many lies..."** he finally whispered, probably not even realizing he spoke aloud.

I blanched. "Now, now, Yami. Do not misunderstand. We never once lied to each other. We simply don't tell the whole truth. What's more, we both know the other is hiding something, making it all the more fair."

I sat up, hugging my right knee to my chest and rested my chin on it. "You know, everything I said yesterday was true. Being with Hao and Opacho is fun and even meaningful. Hao's dream is nice and does not in any way go against my own goal. That's part of the reason why I joined forces with him. The other part is probably that there are only two sides from which to choose. Had I not chosen Hao's, I would be most likely made to fight him, seeing as our power levels are nearly identical."

Yami's eyes burned with fury when he lowered himself to my level. **"And Hao's reason? How do you know he's not going to abandon you when everything goes wrong? Up until now I thought you'd be alright with him because you two seemed like such good friends, but with the truth now before me, I ****highly doubt he'd help you****."**

I clucked my tongue, formulating my response the best I could. "You are right on that. He won't help me. He's keeping me by his side because he wants to keep an eye on me, his possibly worst enemy. He also probably sees me like a handy asset for the future, if the desperate need to use me ever arises."

"**Then-"**

"-But!" I interrupted him rudely, "Because I know all that, I can easily avoid that scenario. I'll secretly help his other followers from the shadows, making sure they at least partly succeed in their missions, making the possibility of a situation where he'll abandon me to reach his goal minimal."

He then openly growled at me, upset that I had not bothered to listen to his opinion. **"That's crazy and you know it! You'll work yourself to death even before we get to the final rounds of the Shaman fight!"**

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic! I mean, what else can we do? Leave? He'll just hunt us down and we'll surely have to fight him then."

Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously at me. **"Are you afraid to fight him?"** he asked gravely, shocking me.

"What?! Heavens, no! I just don't want to. I respect the man too much to kill him. Especially when I could have prevented it from happening." I said, but my posture must have tensed because Yami didn't leave it at that.

"**There is another reason, isn't there?" **he questioned, thoroughly pissed off.

I desperately tried to find something great to tell him but there was no way he'd believe some half-baked lie. Not when he could see how hesitant I was to share this piece of my mind with him.

"Okay, okay, okay! I'll tell you!" I snarled. "There is also Opacho to consider." I admitted.

"**Are you telling me Opacho isn't part of this 'shadow play' you mentioned...?"**

I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the oncoming headache I could feel. "Yeah. I genuinely care for Opacho and killing Hao would make her hate me."

The Spirit of Darkness' face turned suspiciously blank, scaring me on the inside.

"**We're fucked."** he announced suddenly, startling me.

I sighed dejectedly, regretting I ever started this conversation. "Not necessarily." I grit out. "Hao cares about her too. She is our common ground, the key to our bumpy cooperation. If one of us was hurt, it'd upset Opacho greatly. She is what I'm counting on when everything goes down the drain."

_Though I suspect it won't mean anything in the end._ Yes, somehow my intuition was telling me that wasn't the key that would save me. _Not that I'll tell Yami that._

"**I repeat myself. We're fucked."**

I giggled insanely at the defeated statement. "Brighten up, will ya?"

"**You... Have you been smoking something?"**

Smacking his arm, I stood up. "No, you genius. I'm getting back into the role and locking up any unwanted thoughts."

"**Oh." **he huffed, teleporting us back to the dojo.


	12. Mysterious Argument

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Yohooo~ Kept you guys waiting, haven't I? *snickers* I think this story is coming along pretty good, if I say so. Not to mention the positive feedback...

**To Roseanna Marie: **Thank you so much! I almost got a heart attack when you said you disagreed with your sis. Lol. Don't scare me like that again! I hope I won't disappoint you! Oh yeah and give your sis a big bear hug for me for spreading a good word about this lil' story of mine ;)

**To SamayaChrisSky:** Yup, I love Yami too! He was originally supposed to be something like a heartless and cold spirit that cared only about Yin, but somehow gained more of a character as I started writing. Lol. Writing about OCs like this makes me wish they were real!

**To everyone else:** Thank you for reading this story!

Let's see what I've got in stock for you in this chappie, shall we?

* * *

**YUUKI'S HANDY DICTIONARY!**

**Jian- **chinese straight sword

**Rope dart- **type of traditional chinese weapon consisting of a rope from 3 to 5 meters long and sharp metal dart on its one (or both) end(s)

**Deer ****h****orn knives ****(Lu jiao dao) -**also known as crescent moon knives are specialised chinese bladed weapons consisting of two steel crescents crossing

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

**"****Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

******Chapter 12: Mysterious Argument**

Crawling up the staircase from the basement was even more of a pain than I expected. My cramping muscles protested to the littlest movements and by the time I got up, I knew exactly where on my body I would find beautifully blooming purple bruises tomorrow morning.

_It was worth it, it was worth it, it was worth it... _I repeated in my head over and over, gritting my teeth.

After what felt like eternity, I finally got to the couch and plopped myself on it with a grunt of pain, followed closely by a sigh of relief.

_Now if only I could lie like this for a few hours..._

"Ah, Yin-sama!"

I howled inwardly, my disappointment overwhelming._… Hey, you up there! I don't care who you are, Buddha, Allah, God or whatever! But know I'll expect full compensation for all that shit I have to endure. And soon!_

"Yes, Opacho?" I murmured, not bothering to turn my head. _More like being unable to..._

"Umm... Opacho was wondering... What is for lunch...?"

I glanced at the wall clock from the corner of my eye, praying it wasn't past 1:00 PM.

Much like everything happening in my life lately, time also wasn't playing in my favor as it was almost 1:30 PM.

Dejected, I buried my face into the armrest of the couch. "I'm sorry Opacho. I'll get to it right away." I mumbled into the soft fabric. "I should be finished in about an hour. Could you tell that to Hao, too?"

I felt a sympathetic caress of her small hand on my head."Hai, Yin-sama." she agreed softly and left.

About three minutes later, I hauled myself to my feet and limped to the kitchen. Grabbing the appropriate ingredients from the fridge, one big pot from under the sink and checking on the state of our rice cooker, I was ready to cook.

_Curry it is._

* * *

Unlike the dinner yesterday, lunch was silent. Extremely so. It made me so uneasy that I finished my plate in record time and set out to wash up.

I nodded thankfully at Hao when he brought me his and Opacho's dishes but otherwise made a point of ignoring him. There was something up with him today that my sixth sense could pick up on. And to say it didn't like what it felt was an understatement.

I cried inwardly when instead of leaving, he leaned on the counter to my right and stared at me.

"What?" I growled. "Something on my face?"

"I am merely wondering why you have decided to train today. I thought you would rest for two days to recover your strength." he remarked indifferently.

I knew better than to believe his current facial expression. He was genuinely curious. "Yes well...I didn't feel all that tired this morning." I said truthfully, hoping he'd leave it at that and go on to do whatever it was he was doing the past two days.

"I see. But I don't think it's such a good idea to push yourself this much after that tiring journey from China..."

The level of fishiness of this conversation grew at an alarming rate, letting me know I wouldn't like what was to come.

"It's... It's nice that you care about my health but... I- I don't think you have a reason to worry. I'm perfectly fine." My mind was whirling, trying to decipher hidden meanings behind his words.

He smirked, surely proud that he caught me unaware with this talk of his. "Now, now. I think it's better to be safe than sorry. That's why I don't want to see you anywhere near the dojo the next two days."

_He... He's **ordering **me not to train?! He can't be serious! He's never done that before!_

I really couldn't believe what he just said, until something just clicked inside my head. Knowing it was highly dangerous to examine it with him so close to me, I did what he most likely waited for me to do. I lashed out.

"You have _**no **_right to order me around like this! This is _**my**_ house and I'll go _**wherever**_ I want to go and _**whenever**_ I feel like it." I hissed at him, dirty dishes long forgotten.

He watched my reaction apprehensively, probably knowing I wasn't all that mad at him. "Not when it might influence your performance during the Shaman fight."

I roared wordlessly, sensing there was no more need to go on with this argument. He got what he wanted and I had no way of opposing him right at this moment. Not when he was partly right.

_But there is a way to rile him up just as much as he did to me._

I turned to leave the kitchen, but stopped in the doorway and glanced at him over my shoulder. "I got it. I won't go anywhere near the dojo." I announced coldly and stomped to my room where I grabbed my ankle-long baby blue haori, white silk purse that looked a bit like an over-the-shoulder over-sized perfume satchel which held my wallet, and my usual sets of weapons – deer horn knives, rope dart and jian.

"What do you think you are doing?" resounded angrily from behind me.

I peered at Hao's reflection in the mirror of my vanity table, glad to see he was just as put off by my actions as I was by his 'request'. "Packing." I said as matter-of-fact, my eyes sweeping over the room to see if I'll need anything else.

Still not looking at him directly, I gave him some last-minute information. "There are some leftovers in the fridge and I've left enough money in the envelope hidden in the pantry with biscuits to last you a week."

Abruptly, I walked out of the room and passed Hao's fuming form in the small hallway, heading for the main door.

Before I could take two steps from him, however, his hand latched onto my wrist, turning me around roughly to face him.

His expression was like an emotionless smiling mask, under which boiled fury that could rival that of a nature itself. "You're not going anywhere." he proclaimed a little too controlled, as if he had a hard time speaking.

I had to swallow my own rising anger as I had to reason with him. "Now look here. You don't want me pushing myself because it might tamper with your goal. Fine. I won't. But I need the training. So to reach consensus, I'm going out to recover my furyoku as soon as possible and then train. Do you understand?"

I swear I could practically see the moment he got it. "You... Are going to... meditate?"

"Yes, Hao, I'm going to meditate! Will you let go of me now?!" I shouted, irritation getting the best of me.

His grip on my wrist slackened and I used that chance to flee, stopping only to put on my white flats.

Once outside, I masked my furyoku (or what was left of it) and set out on my journey to find the perfect place for my meditation.

* * *

"**Mistress?"**

Though my spirit sounded almost distressed, I currently couldn't bring myself to care. "Hm?"

"**Are you... Are you sure this is the best place to meditate?"** he stuttered.

Dodging a floating will-o-wisp for the hundredth time, I looked at him and blinked innocently. "You don't like it?"

I never knew wolves could sweat-drop, but apparently Yami could. **"That's not what I meant. I thought you needed someplace calm in order to concentrate better...?"**

I laughed and shook my head, continuing my walk down the old, overgrown aisle. "I know I used to meditate a lot in that cell back at the Tao mansion but that doesn't mean I need a strictly quiet place to do so. In fact, if I want to regain my spiritual power quicker, I should stay in close proximity to not only nature but human spirits also." chuckling, I spread my arms wide and made a pirouette, gesturing to everything around us. "And what better place is there for this than the biggest and oldest cemetery in the neighborhood?"

As if summoned by my words, spirits inhabiting nearby graves flew up from the ground, circling around us.

"**...Great." **he cheered sarcastically, his eyes watching the spirits with clear distrust.

Smiling with understanding, I came up to him, patted his head reassuringly and once again made my way to the three lone sakura trees I could see in the distance.

We were silent the whole time after that, at least until Yami's patience snapped. **"Do you plan on ever telling me what the hell was that argument about?"**

I eyed him thoughtfully and nodded. Without having to say anything, he erected a barrier around us.

Sure that it would hold up, I divulged what I concluded. "It seems Hao is testing the borders."

My spirit threw me a confused look. **"Testing ****the ****borders?"**

"Yes. He was trying to see how much influence he had over me. There is probably something he knows he'll need me for but isn't sure I'm the right person for it." I was merely guessing, but it rang true in my head, just as it had when I was in that kitchen with him.

"**Any ideas on what it might be?"**

I shook my head negatively. "I wish I knew." I said wistfully.

"**So we're stuck."**

"That, my dear Spirit of Darkness, we are." I agreed sadly, sitting down under the closest of the three trees.


	13. Heart of a Spirit

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Hi guys! Missed me? I bet you have! I've been pretty out of it for a while. Haven't written a single chapter for any of my stories. (It's going to be a hell to update them all.) Though I haven't planned for it, it seems like this chappie will be kind of a birthday present from me to you! My b-day is on 29th. Lol.

Many thanks to:

**Tala Is Shining **for reviewing so wholeheartedly! As I mentioned you have my permission to use the theme from my first chappie, if it is not the same, of course.

**Neve **for reviewing at all! Even a single word warms my heart!

**Ava bee **for agreeing with my plan for Yami to only like Yin, though it was always supposed to be like that. He was just meant to be exceedingly cold to the others. Now he just ignores them.

**Edith **for encouraging me to keep on writing!

**Wizzkid** for praising me with so few words, which however hold a great value! Thank you!

And lastly, thanks to all who favorited, alerted and read this story! I keep on writing for you!

* * *

**YUUKI'S HANDY DICTIONARY!**

Nothing in this chapter. Aren't you relieved? By the way, the names mentioned later were chosen randomly, so do not bother looking for any hidden connections. :)

* * *

**FONT EXPLANATION:**

"Characters Talking"

_Main character thinking_

_**Stressing something or time skips announcements**_

"**Main character's spirit talking"**

* * *

**Chapter 1****3****: ****Heart of a Spirit**

While I lived at the Tao mansion, meditation was the only way I could forget about what was around me and pretend I was somewhere else. Yes, when I sat down and concentrated, I was someone else.

It worked most of the time, but there were certain circumstances under which that changed. One in particular made my meditation time quite interesting. The night.

Ever since I first met Yami, I was unable to meditate once the sun started setting. Whenever I tried, instead of entering my own mind, my consciousness would flare outwards, melding with the surrounding darkness. That's how I found out I was able to observe everything happening not only around me, but in the entire mansion.

It was as if I became one with the shadows of the night encasing everything and if I willed it hard enough, I would see everyone under the dark sky.

Half of the planet that faced away from the sun suddenly became my territory. Every single person, whether sleeping, clubbing or working was dancing in the palm of my hand and they didn't even know about it.

Even now, I wasn't entirely sure what made such a change possible, although I had my suspicions. Ones that ultimately made me crave to reach my goal so much more.

And sitting here, under the sakura tree merely two hours after I left my house, I hoped to reach that goal very soon.

"Not that it'll come true before the end of the Shaman fight." I grumbled under my breath.

"**Mistress?"**

I stared down into those falsely guileless eyes of my guardian spirit, not for the first time wondering just what kind of twisted fate allowed us to meet.

"I'm okay." I said, tearing my gaze away from those hypnotic orbs of his. "I was just over-thinking things."

I relaxed with the masculine chuckles resounding from my right. **"You tend to do that a lot."**

"Do I, now?" I smiled fondly, my eyes taking in the raw beauty of the ancient graveyard.

"**Yes."** he cut in curtly, making me smirk.

I was about to bite something back, when we were interrupted by a high-pitched female voice.

"Yin-chan? Is that you?"

I whipped my head to find the source, only to stare at a group of three spirits who I recognized instantly.

Relaxing once more, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the tree trunk behind me. "Good afternoon, Yamashita-san." I breathed out, my lips curving into a little, but sincere smile.

"I told you it was Yin-chan!" squealed the elderly woman of about fifty years at the time of her death.

"Out for a run again?" asked one of the two male spirits, his voice calm and collected, unperturbed by the woman's childish antics.

I didn't have to open my eyes to know Yami was staring at me, surely wondering what the human spirit meant when he said 'again'.

"No. I came to meditate." I answered shortly, but politely.

While being a relatively young spirit of about 40 afterlife years and roughly 60 of the living, Yasunaga-san came from a very prestigious and traditional family, making him little more reserved and detached than the other spirits that ended up being his constant companions. He always spoke in a very formal manner, though he didn't particularly mind when the others did not do so when speaking to him. I guess he got used to it and accepted the progressing times. In a way that's what earned him my respect.

"Oh? Are your flatmates giving you a hard time?" questioned the third spirit, youngest of the group.

I rose an eyebrow and stared at the man, curious how he came to that conclusion.

_I am not that obvious... Am I?_

"I knew it!" hissed the female. "I knew something was wrong when we hadn't seen you in two months! I am so going to give those two freeloaders a piece of my mind!"

I smirked at Yamashita-san's angry expression and outright laughed when I noticed how Yami gaped at her like she was crazy.

"I appreciate the concern, Yama-"

"Keiko!" she interrupted me, huffing.

Sighing, I corrected myself. "As I said, I appreciate the concern, Keiko-san, but the truth is I don't think there's anything you can do. At best, you would get exorcised. At worst, your soul would be eaten."

If it was possible, her face got pale as she blanched at the horrible image I just planted in her mind.

Probably feeling it was best to put a stop to her over-active fantasy, Yasunaga-san opted to engage me in a small talk.

"How are you doing, Yin-san? You look quite exhausted." he admitted with a little grandfatherly concern reflected in his brown eyes.

Silently thanking him, I saw no reason to hold back and answered him truthfully. "Good, I guess. I've been ordered to follow someone for two months and only recently returned from China."

"So you've been in China this whole time?" joined in the young Sawano, who gave up on trying to calm down the petrified Yamashita-san.

"Not quite." I replied, briefly glancing his way before looking back to the elder male. "I've been there the past twelve days and returned only yesterday."

Nodding in understanding, Yasunaga-san shifted a little to the side and lowered himself to the ground beside me and Yami, with Sawano and Yamashita-san following suit.

Finally snapping out of her daze, Yamashita-san bounced up and down happily, eager to question me on the trip. "Did you like your stay? Where exactly did you go? Have you met any cute boys while there?"

Yami practically climbed into my lap, trying to get as far away from the hyper woman as he could. He clearly wasn't a fan of gossip-loving housewives. Not that I found he was a fan of any particular kind of people. Or spirits.

"Keiko-san!" I scolded her softly, which made her freeze and blush as she realized her actions.

"Aw, come on, Yin-chan! You know how this old lady likes adventure stories! Not to mention romances..." The puppy eyes she was giving me clashed with the wrinkles on her face, but I found it somehow suited her.

"No I haven't," I rolled my eyes at her, making her pout. "We actually ended up visiting my family." I added, hoping the woman would see how there was no way to meet 'boys'. Not that I would care to. I wasn't even remotely interested in dating. I needed to reach the goal, not go around wooing men.

"You enjoyed the trip, then." said Sawano offhandedly, looking almost bored and tad bit jealous. "You got to see your folks and all..."

I shared a look with Yami. _Oh, I got to see my folks, alright._

"I'd rather not see them." I growled darkly, showing I had no intention of saying anything else on the topic.

After moments of awkward silence, I decided it was time to turn the tables around.

"How are you, guys? I couldn't help but notice Kobayashi-san isn't here...?"

I watched with interest how their faces fell and they refused to look at me. Grief that showed in their body language was truly astounding. One would think that ghosts were above the pain of parting with their loved ones. Clearly, that was not the case. If anything, their feelings seemed to be intensified compared to those of the living.

"He-" hiccuped Keiko as she tried to wipe away her tears with the sleeve of her yellow festival yukata. "He passed on." she choked out between the sobs.

The other two looked a bit relieved that they didn't have to be the ones to say those words. It was a bit comical, really.

"Kobayashi-san's youngest son, Ryoutarou, came here about a month ago with his fiancee. He came here all the way from Kitami-shi to show his father the woman he would be spending the rest of his life with and to tell him he was never mad at him for leaving his mother." breathed out Sawano, managing to smile a little at the end.

"He is with the Great Spirit, then." I concluded, scratching Yami behind his ears. "You know, you guys should do that too. Pass on, I mean."

"No way!" cried out Yamashita-san suddenly. "I'm not passing on until I get to either dance on that whore's grave, or beat her into a pulp if she becomes a ghost! I can't just let her get away with seducing my husband! Not to mention I'll beat him up too, for cheating on me!"

Her eyes that were full of tears and sadness seconds ago now burned with all fires of hell as she revealed her reason for staying.

Nodding, Sawano smiled wistfully. "Yeah, I can't just up and leave. I promised my little brother I would watch him become a famous shamisen player."

Resigned, I turned to Yasunaga-san waiting for him to tell me his own reason for delaying the inevitable. The corners of his mouth lifted with amusement. "I stay to watch over my descendants. My gambling is the reason we lost almost all of our heirlooms and lands. It is only fair I suffer by watching my line die out."

I bit my lip, eyeing the group of spirits before me. They were all so different, yet every single one of them had a reason to stay. Reason they were not hesitant to admit, whether it was honorable or not. I found myself envying them. They had no reason to hide who they were, what they felt. They all looked so self-assured, peaceful almost. As if the death gave them the closure they needed in order to be truly the people they were meant to be.

My own inner thoughts consumed me, calling for me so enticingly I had not noticed when my companions left me, or when the afternoon turned into an early evening.

"**Mistress."**

I blinked several times, trying to bring my focus back to the reality and the spirit nestled beside me.

"**The sun has begun to set."** he informed me, his voice low, energized even as he watched the orb of light hiding itself behind the horizon.

"Good." I replied simply.

Shifting my position into a more comfortable one, I ran my hands through the dewy grass, enjoying the feel of the cool sensation covering my fingers and eagerly breathing in the fresh air which held a promise of a cold night approaching.

As I was trying to attune myself to my surroundings, Yami sat up beside me, watching me closely.

"**Mistress..."**

"I never trusted people, you know." I interrupted him, no doubt in my mind about what he was dying to know. "And I still don't."

If a wolf could frown, I was sure Yami was doing it now. Nevertheless, I continued, feeling a bit exposed as I tried to relay to him what I felt.

"But the spirits... I feel I can trust those. To an extent, of course." I smirked. "After death, humans seem to lose most of their reservations, desires, even the need to blend in. They are themselves. Only one thing remains. Their desire. The single feeling that keeps them bound to this earth. It's like besides that one reason they have no ulterior motives."

"**But there are also evil spirits." **he argued back, though something in his voice told me he agreed with what I said wholeheartedly. And it warmed me up on the inside to know I was not wrong.

"Yes there are. But it's so easy to tell them apart... When they have no other agenda and don't care for either secrecy or safety, they stop pretending, hiding. They are proud of who they are and what they want. It is by discovering that desire they so like to announce that you know whether the spirit is evil or good. And I've learned that all from those four." I nodded to the group of merrily laughing spirits before us, which consisted of my three spirit acquaintances and three others I did not know.

"**That is why you made sure your running route went through the cemetery. You wanted to learn more about the inner working of spirits."**

It was a statement. One that didn't need to be even confirmed by me, it was so clearly true.

We didn't speak or move for a few moments, we simply watched as the last sun rays made their towards us, the light slowly dying out and giving way to the darkness we both seemed to revel in.

"**I should have known you would be scared."** Yami stated emotionlessly, like he was not quite sure what he himself should feel at those words.

I bore my golden eyes onto his unnaturally stiff form, watching as his fur darkened with each passing second. "I wasn't scared." I pronounced. "I am never scared."

His stare, now fully reflecting the millenniums upon millenniums of ages he witnessed turned to me slowly, scrutinizing my small but strong and prideful frame, looking for that which he desperately hoped to see in me.

"I simply needed to know. Nothing more and nothing less. We shall reach our goal." I swore, meaning every single word I uttered and accepting that my fate has been permanently sealed this very moment.

"**And so we shall." **he whispered, sad smile spreading on his face as we both turned to gaze upon the rising moon.


End file.
